The Colonels baseball team swept their series against Texas A&M Corpus Christi this past weekend increasing the team’s conference record to 4-2 putting them in fourth place in the conference.Due to the incoming weather, the Colonels and the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Islanders agreed to face off in a double-header starting at noon on March 13.
After a night and day of overcast skies and rain, the Colonels came onto the field at 6 p.m. on Saturday and played their last game in the three-game series against the Islanders to sweep their series 6-3.
After an error from junior center fielder Chris Murrill, the Islanders scored first in the top of the third, kicking off the game 1-0 in the Islanders favor.
Junior Keith Kulbeth answered with a triple, hitting the center field wall and advanced to score after an error from the Islanders. Kulbeth also recorded two RBI’s from the hit scoring both junior Kevin Schlegel and Murrill giving the lead to the Colonels with a score of 3-1.
In the top of the fifth, Islanders batter Stephen Flora hit a solo homerun over the left center wall cutting the Colonels lead to one with a score of 3-2. The Islanders tied the score after a batter drove a ball to short right and scored a runner on third.
The Colonels answered when Kulbeth drove in Murrill with a hit to left center. The next batter, junior Scott Moseley, drove Kulbeth in with his double off the left center wall.
In the eighth, the Colonels locked in their win when junior Blake Bergeron drove in Miley for the win.
Starting senior pitcher Lance Dupuis picked up the 13-3 win for the Colonels in the first game of the double header facing 25 batters in his seven innings, striking out seven, allowing four hits and one run.
The Colonels posted the first score in the bottom of the third inning when Kulbeth singled to first, scoring junior Steven Gauthe. Junior Scott Moseley added to the score when he singled to right field, scoring Murrill and increasing the lead 2-0. Immediately after, junior Adam Miley singled to center, scoring both Kulbeth and Moseley going into the top of the fourth 4-0.
Dupuis allowed the first hit of the game in the top of the fourth when Islander batter Brycen Bell hit just short of center field.
The Colonels increased their lead in the bottom of the fourth when Schlegel hit a sacrifice fly to left center bringing in senior Josh Swenson.
The Islanders scored in the top of the fifth when Jeramie Merek tripled down the right field line scoring a run. Weston Montgomery followed up with a single to left scoring Merek.
The Colonels increased their lead to 6-2 when Schlegel hit a drive to left field with bases loaded bringing home junior Tyler Minto.
Minto hit a drive down the left field line for a double and advancing the third in the bottom of the seventh bringing home Miley and Moseley. Minto scored right after a wild pitch increasing the Colonel lead to 9-2.
The Islanders cut the lead in the top of the eighth off an error from junior third baseman Josh Labiche; 9-3.
The Colonels answered in the bottom of the eighth when Kulbeth hit to short right scoring Schlegel. Freshman Jacob Knight stole home from a wild pitch from Islander pitcher followed by Kulbeth who scored off an error from an Islander shortstop.
The Colonels ended the game in the bottom of the eighth when junior Zach Tisdale hit a line drive down the left field line, scoring Moseley and putting the 10-run rule into effect.
After about a thirty-minute break, the Colonels and Islanders stepped back onto the field for game two of the double-header. Nicholls defeated the Islanders 5-1.
Murrill started off the game with a single and scored first from a single up the middle from Moseley.
Labiche and junior Jason Dennis had back-to-back RBI doubles in the fourth. In the fifth, Minto hit a RBI single to increase the score 4-0 in the Colonels favor.
The Islanders would score one run in the sixth and not be able to clench the win.
Murrill had a perfect 3 for 3 performance and scored twice. Overall, Murrill was 11 for 17 from the plate allowing, him to be named the SLC hitter of the week.
The Colonels were scheduled to play March 16, however, due to bad weather, the Colonels game against Kentucky was canceled.
The Colonels travel to Nacogdoches, Texas March 20-22 to take on the Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin University in a three-game series followed by a trip to Tulane University, March 24 to take on the Green Wave.
