THIBODAUX, La. - The Nicholls State University softball team fell behind early in both games on Saturday against McNeese, but the Colonels rallied both times to pick up a doubleheader sweep with 6-5 and 5-4 victories on Swanner Field at Geo Surfaces Park.
The two wins gave Nicholls (19-12, 7-2 SLC) a series sweep of McNeese (20-12, 4-5 SLC), marking the first sweep of three games or more against the Cowgirls since 1992. The Colonels also remain in a two-way tie for second with UIW, which Nicholls won the series against last weekend.
Game 1 - Nicholls 6, McNeese 5 (8 inn.)
Gabby Higbee hit a solo home run in the sixth, leading to extra innings, then delivered the game-winning single with the bases loaded as the Colonels rallied back from a 5-1 deficit to defeat McNeese.
Nicholls had 10 hits with Higbee,
Madison Moak and
Erin Krause each finishing with two.
Kayleigh Lugowski added a two-out double which led to a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
Freshman
Ashley Little was perfect through her first seven batters but ran into trouble in the third inning. McNeese had two doubles for a 2-1 lead and after a sacrifice fly, Maddie Taylor homered with one on for a 5-1 advantage.
Sierra Ouellette subbed in and retired the final batter.
In the bottom of the third, Moak singled to start a two-out rally. Krause followed with a run-scoring double to cut the deficit to 5-2.
After a scoreless fourth, Nicholls once again rallied with two outs as Moak and Krause singled. The Colonels pulled within a run when
Lilianna Robledo drove a 2-1 pitch into the gap for a two-run double. Then in the sixth, Higbee's game-tying homer also came with two down.
Ouellette gave up a walk and a single in the sixth but went on to retire the final eight batters to set up the Colonel eighth.
Reagan Heflin bunted for a hit with one down to get things started, then
Brynne Songy singled down the third base line. McNeese pitched around Lugowski to fill the bags and Higbee came through with a hard grounder to short for the walk-off win.
Ouellette struck out six and allowed three hits in 5.1 shutout innings for the victory.
Niyah Fontenot and Kassidy Chance paced McNeese with two hits each.
Game 2 - Nicholls 5, McNeese 4
McNeese jumped all over the Colonels with four runs in the second, but Nicholls answered with its own four-spot in the third before
Reagan Heflin drove in the game-winning run in the fifth.
Molly Yoo had another outstanding showing in the circle, tossing 5.2 shutout innings of relief. She struck out six while scattering six hits.
The Cowgirls got to
Averi Paden in the second with four hits, highlighted by an RBI double by Corine Poncho. Yoo allowed a single before ending the inning with a groundout.
In the Colonels' big inning, three straight singles to start the inning led to an RBI on an
Erin Krause groundout.
Lilianna Robledo drew a walk to load the bases again, and Heflin followed by dropping a double in the left center gap, driving in all three runners to tie the game at 4-4.
For the decisive fifth, Robledo doubled to left with two down and moved to third on a wild pitch. Heflin then smacked a single up the middle for the final run of the day.
Yoo fanned the first two batters of the sixth before McNeese loaded the bases with three consecutive singles. But a soft grounder ended the threat and kept the score at 5-4. McNeese added a two-out single in the seventh before Yoo closed out the sweep with a groundout to second.
Heflin and
Brynne Songy each had two hits while Heflin totaled four RBIs. Meiko Dominguez led McNeese with three hits including a triple.
Brookelyn Taylor tossed all seven innings and allowed nine hits while striking out one.
