SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Playing on the road for the first time in league play, the Nicholls State University softball team escaped with a 4-3 win in eight innings at UIW before sweeping the doubleheader with a 6-2 victory in the nightcap at H-E-B Field.
Nicholls (15-11, 4-1 SLC) and UIW (18-10, 3-2 SLC) will finish the series on Saturday with a 1:00 PM first pitch.
Game 1 - Nicholls 4, UIW 3 (8 inn.)
Kayleigh Lugowski's three-run homer looked to be enough in Game 1 before UIW rallied in the seventh to send the game into extras, but Nicholls pushed a run across in the eighth to defeat the Cardinals, 4-3.
UIW jumped out to a 2-0 advantage in the opening frame when Sydney Zenon hit a two-run shot off of
Averi Paden.
Nicholls could not get anything going offensively until the fourth inning.
Brynne Songy ripped a single to left for the first Colonel hit off of Bella Mitchell.
Reagan Heflin followed with a walk before Lugowski blasted a 2-1 offering over the center field wall for her first homer of the season and a 3-2 Colonel lead.
Ashley Little subbed in to pitch in the second inning and was outstanding, striking out seven in 5.0 innings. But UIW was able to tag her with a pinch hit solo homer by Madison Dorrow to lead off the seventh. The Cardinals added a double before
Sierra Ouellette took over in the circle.
The late rally continued for the home team with a base hit and a walk to fill the bases with no outs. The Colonels got out No. 1 at home plate on a fielder's choice, then Ouellette forced a shallow fly to right to keep the bases loaded. Facing Erin Perez with a full count, Ouellette struck her out swinging to send the game into the extra inning.
The Colonels faced a similar situation in the eighth as
Erin Krause and
Reagan Heflin singled before Lugowski walked with one out to fill the bags.
Gabby Higbee hit a grounder up the middle and UIW tried to turn a double play, but she beat the throw at first which allowed the runner to score for the lead.
Molly Yoo pitched the eighth and gave up leadoff singles before retiring the final three batters, leaving the tying run on third thanks to a swinging strikeout.
Nicholls totaled seven hits with Heflin and
Laylin Sturm accounting for two each.
Game 2 - Nicholls 6, UIW 2
Nicholls jumped out to a 3-0 lead through two innings and
Molly Yoo tossed a complete game in a 6-2 victory over the Cardinals.
The Colonels scored in the opening inning after
Claire Sisco and
Madison Moak singled in the frame, and
Reagan Heflin made it 1-0 on a sacrifice fly.
Nicholls then pieced together a two-out rally in the second. Sisco doubled and Moak drew a walk, setting up a two-run double by
Erin Krause. But UIW answered with its own two-out magic, getting a two-run single by Sydney Zenon to cut the deficit to 3-2.
The final three runs came on a Moak groundout in the fourth before two late runs in the seventh. Krause singled and scored on another Heflin sac fly, then Lugowski crushed a solo shot off the scoreboard for her second homer of the day.
Yoo issued a one-out walk in the seventh before closing out the complete game victory.
After picking up the save in Game 1, Yoo threw 7.0 innings with two runs on six hits and struck out two.
Sisco led the offense with a 3-for-4 outing and scored three times. Krause added two hits and she and Heflin finished with two RBIs.
