The Lady Colonel softball team remained winless in Southland Conference play, after being swept in a three-game series by the University of Texas-Arlington over the weekend, at Lady Colonel Diamond. With the losses, Nicholls fell to 11-16 on the year and 0-9 in the SLC.
“Right now the teams in the conference are doing a lot of losing, so a couple of wins and we are right back in the thick of things,” Lady Colonel head coach Pattie Holthaus said. “The team is working hard, but we’re just not winning a lot of the close conference games.”
Game 1: UTA 2 Nicholls 1
In the opening game of the series Saturday, the Lady Colonels entered the bottom of the seventh inning trailing 2-0, but fell short in their bid to tie the game.
Nicholls scored its lone run of the game in the seventh, when Julie Rodriguez doubled home Kyna Boyer, who reached on a walk.
After Rodriguez, who went 2-for-3 in the game, took third on a sacrifice bunt by Monica Hebert, she was tagged out trying to steal home for the last out of the game.
Nicholls was held to two hits by UTA righthander Katy Cox, who struck out 12, in gaining the complete game victory.
“Cox is probably one of the best pitchers in the conference, and we did a pretty good job against her,” Holthaus said.
Lady Colonel hurler Duffi Matherne also went the entire way giving up two Lady Maverick runs, both unearned coming in the top of the sixth inning.
In the contest Nicholls was hampered by three errors.
Game 2: UTA 10 Nicholls 0
The second game of the doubleheader Saturday proved to be all UTA, as the Lady Mavs posted four runs in the second and third innings and added a pair in the top of the fifth.
The game was stopped due to the mercy rule after the bottom of the fifth.
“We couldn’t do anything right in that second game,” Holthaus said. “Sometimes you have games like that. Hopefully we just won’t have anymore.”
Kelly Rhodes got the win for UTA, after coming in for Cox, who started the game.
Hebert, Boyer and Jennifer Ortego all recorded one hit each for Nicholls.
Fallon Cancienne was tagged with the loss for the Lady Colonels.
Game 3: UTA 7 Nicholls 5
The series finale on Sunday saw UTA score a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning to take the two-run win.
“We did just about everything right, but we didn’t win the game,” Holthaus said.
Trailing 5-2 heading into its final at bat in the bottom of the seventh inning, Nicholls rallied to tie the game at 5-5.
Lady Colonel Jen Sladky led the inning off with a single, and Sarah Eads came in to pinch run. With one out, Kristi Blanchard then doubled to score Eads.
Jill Chabert then followed with a double, scoring Blanchard. After Chabert advanced to third on a wild pitch, the Lady Colonels tied the game when Rodriguez hit a fly ball to right that scored Chabert.
But in the top of the eighth UTA scored a pair of runs, and Nicholls could not recover.
In the game, Nicholls recorded 10 hits against Cox, while Matherne and Cancienne surrendered eight hits.
Chabert and Sladky each went 2-for-4 on the day. Blanchard went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored.
Nicholls 9 Southern-Baton Rouge 0
On March 8, Nicholls traveled to Baton Rouge and picked up a 9-0 non-conference win over Southern University.
Against the Lady Jaguars, Cancienne recorded her second shutout of the season, while allowing two hits and striking out four in the complete-game win.
Nicholls got a run in the first inning on an RBI single by Nicole Stewart.
In the second frame, the Lady Colonels added four runs highlighted by a three-run triple by Chabert.
The Lady Colonels added four more runs in the fifth when Blanchard and Lynette Kokemor each knocked in a pair of runs.
The Lady Colonels will return to action today when they face Centenary College at 5 p.m. in Shreveport.
