Nicholls State University

LAKE CHARLES, La. - No. 6-seed Northwestern State scored two runs in the third to erase an early lead by No. 3-seed Nicholls, but the Colonels answered immediately with five runs in the bottom half and went on to take their opening game of the Lake Charles Bracket with a 7-4 victory on Thursday afternoon at Cowgirl Diamond.

With the win, Nicholls (30-21) advances in the winner's bracket to take on No. 2-seed McNeese. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m., weather permitting. 

The pitching matchup featured half of the league's All-Southland pitchers as Molly Yoo made the start for the Colonels against Northwestern State's Mattison Buster. Yoo gave up a triple to start the game but fielded a groundout herself, then got a lineout and another grounder to keep the score at 0-0.

Facing Buster for the third time in less than a week, Claire Sisco was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Madison Moak laced a single to put the first two runners on. Erin Krause followed with an RBI groundout before Reagan Heflin made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly.

In the Demon third, a single and a walk set up a game-tying two-run double by Aly Delafield. However, the tie was short-lived as Nicholls countered with five hits to fuel the decisive inning.

Sisco led off with a walk and scored on a Moak double. With one down, Heflin delivered again with an infield RBI single for a 4-2 advantage. Lilianna Robledo followed with a base hit and Kayleigh Lugowski crushed a double for two more runs. Brynne Songy put a bow on the inning with an RBI single to shallow right.

Yoo gave up a leadoff single in the fourth but was able to strand the runner, leaving the game after four innings with a 7-2 lead. She finished with three strikeouts and allowed five hits.

For the fifth, Sierra Ouellette took over in the circle for Nicholls and exited after allowing two free passes. Averi Paden nearly got out of the jam but Peyton Young tagged her with a two-run double with two outs to cut the deficit to 7-4.

Paden allowed a single in the sixth before going on to pick up her second save of the season. She had two strikeouts and walked none.

Nicholls totaled seven hits with Moak and Songy each finishing with two. Songy's first hit came in the second inning where she notched her first career triple with a shot to right field. 

For Northwestern State, Delafield and Young both had two hits. Brooklyn Stohler tossed 3.0 innings of relief and did not allow a hit.