For the third time, the Colonels softball team went into the final weekend needing to either win or split the final conference series in order to make the conference tournament at Northwestern State University. Standing in the way of Nicholls getting to the tournament since 2004 was McNeese State, a team that had already secured a berth in the tournament but could have improved its standings with a home sweep of the Colonels. “We knew what we were up against, and I think our team was ready for the challenge,” head coach Jenny Parsons said.
Bad weather shortened the usual three-game series into a one-day double-header, with McNeese defeating the Colonels in the first game 6-2.
In the final game the Colonels were down 3-0 until senior second baseman Brandi Hahn hit a two-run single bringing the Colonels to within a run of McNeese in the top of the sixth. In its final at bat, Nicholls first baseman Amy Thibodeaux hit a solo home run to tie the game 3-3, soon after junior third baseman Leah Peterson grounded out, but scored a run in the process, giving the Colonels the lead 4-3 and the win.
With the win, the Colonels earned the sixth seed in the conference tournament and had to face top-seeded Texas-San Antonio in the first round. It would be a back-and-forth game between the teams with three lead changes during the contest.
Aimee Murray put Texas-San Antonio on the board first with a solo home run, giving her team the lead 1-0. Meghan Mulcahy would answer Murray’s home run with one of her own, putting the game at 1-1. Texas-San Antonio would score another run to make the score 2-1, but in the sixth senior centerfielder Teri Clouatre and Peterson both scored to give the Colonels the 3-2 lead.
However, after allowing a runner to get on base in the next inning, Ally May gave a two-run home run to Brittany Cantu giving Texas-San Antonio the 4-2
lead and eventually the win.
“That was such a tough game,” Parsons said. “I think if we would have won that game, we would have put ourselves in a position to make a run like we did in 2003.”
With the loss, the Colonels had to play an elimination game that night against the loser of game two, the host team Northwestern State. Behind Krystalin Ensminger’s one-hitter, Nicholls had no trouble with the Demons winning the game 4-0 and assured the team another day of competition.
Day two would not be kind to Nicholls, as Texas State would hand the Colonels a 9-2 defeat. “We would have liked to have gone farther, but we’re really excited about the future of the program,” Parsons said.
To add to a successful season, Peterson, Hahn and sophomore shortstop Kat Harrell were named to the Louisiana Sports Writers Association All-Louisiana team, with Hahn also being named to the All-South Region team and Southland Conference All-Tournament team and Harrell being named SLC Hitter of the Year.
