When the score ’17-10′ comes up in conversation, most people assume the conversation is about football; however, Sunday’s baseball game ended in a 17-10 loss for the Colonels.While 17-10 may seem like a big gap, the Colonels were able to come back from a 14-2 deficit in the sixth inning to avoid a 10-run rule that would end the game in the seventh.
While most of the Colonels’ games this year have lasted about two and a half hours, this game was three minutes shy of a three-and-a-half-hour game, packed with unexpected turns, surprising outcomes and statistics.
While Stephen F. Austin is one of the hottest hitting teams in the Southland Conference, the Colonels tried to keep up to the Jacks’ 20 hits with their 13.
However, the Colonels’ valiant attempt to get back into the game came a bit too late, as the Jacks were able to extend their lead.
A total of 20 free bases were given as the Jacks’ pitching staff gave up 11 walks to the Colonels’ nine. The Colonels’ junior outfielder Bear Comer was walked four times by the Jacks’ pitching staff. Comer is currently third in the SLC with 21 walks.
Despite the free bases given, both teams combined for a total of 31 players left on base. For a score of 17-10, 31 more runs could have hit a total of 58 runs, something that I have never seen, unless we were talking about basketball and total number of shots.
With both teams offering so many free bases, both pitching staffs seemed to struggle, providing only nine strikeouts combined. For the second time this season, the Colonels have missed the Raising Cane’s Challenge, both of which occured in last weekend’s match-up. If the Colonels’ pitching staff strikes out six or more batters, fans can take their ticket stubs or challenge coupons to any Thibodaux or Houma Cane’s location for a “buy one get one free” combo. No one was able to get free chicken Saturday or Sunday.
The teams had a combined 85 at bats. Fourteen of these provided extra base hits, nine were doubles, two were triples and three were home runs. The only Colonel home run came from senior designated hitter Adam Miley.
The Colonels used team effort in the comeback attempt, as they used 21 of the possible 25 players eligible for the series play on the 25-man roster. Eight Colonel pitchers saw the mound, and half of these saw more than one inning of play. True freshman Corey Poche made his first appearance in college play, pitching 1.1 innings.
The Colonels saw an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second before the Jacks showed why they are one of the highest-ranked hitting teams in the SLC, plating five runners in the third and fourth innings compared to the Colonels’ two.
The Jacks sent home four runners in the sixth to make it a 14-2 game with a 12-run deficit. As I sat in the press box, I thought that I’d be heading home early.
However, the Colonels plated four runs in the sixth, three in the seventh and one in the eighth, going from a 12-run deficit to only four runs. But the Jacks extended their lead to seven in the ninth, and the game ended 17-10.
The Colonels proved to everyone in attendance that they will not give up. It would have been easy to assume you’re going to lose and end the game early via a 10-run rule.
For one of the longest baseball games the Colonels have played, this game was filled with unexpected turns and surprises. The Colonels kept fans on the edge of their seats and taught them that if you believe in yourself, anything can happen.
The Colonels are now ranked eighth in the SLC and will try to improve their ranking and record, as they take on the University of Texas-Arlington at 6:30 p.m. in Arlington in a three-game series. Fans can keep up with scores by using the link to Gametracker on the Nicholls athletic Web site.
