After losing both games on Saturday by a combined score of 19-6, the Nichols State softball team lost the final game of the weekend to Texas-Arlington 5-1. The Mavericks are 12-8 overall on the season with a 6-0 conference record, while the Colonels are 6-15 and 2-4 in conference.
“The effort was there today for us, but we just didn’t do enough to win the game,” head coach Jenny Parsons said. “I don’t think our defense did enough to help the pitching and that hurt us.”
Jill Garro (7-4) got the complete game win for the UTA; she went all seven innings allowing no earned runs on six hits striking out seven. Jessica Barksdale (6-1) was given the loss going 5.1 innings giving up three runs on eight hits striking out three.
UTA scored in the top of the first inning when first baseman Dee Jay Nelson laced a Barksdale curve ball into left field scoring Autumn Petrino.
Jenna Fortune scored on a sacrifice fly to left field by Nelson in the top of the third inning after Fortune advanced two bases on two different errors, one by catcher Jackie Pacheco and the other by center fielder Teri Clouatre. Nicholls finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the inning when Danielle Clayton scored on a passed ball by Maverick catcher Laci Ledbetter.
Unlike Saturday’s games, the Colonels did not have an inning where the team gave up three or more runs, until the sixth inning when Katie Jones doubled to center scoring April Clougherty and Kristin Moore. Jones then scored on a throwing error by Colonels third baseman Leah Peterson when she tried to throw out Amanda Swofford at first. Parsons would pull Barksdale after that last unearned run and put in Krystalin Ensminger.
The Colonels would not gain any ground in their final two at bats and suffered a third straight loss at home. Leading the way for Nicholls at the plate were Pacheco and Clayton, both going 2 for 3 with Clayton being the only run scored for Colonels. UTA was led by Fortune who went 2 for 4, behind her Nelson, 1 for 3 with 2 rbi’s and Jones, 1 for 3 with 2 rbi’s and a run scored.
“We need to attack the ball defensively and I think that this weekend we were timid in doing that,” Parsons said. “But I’m still proud of the way the girls played today; UTA is a heck of a team.”
The Colonels will now travel to face Southern University in Baton Rouge on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
