Nicholls baseball looks to take advantage of home stretch

After dropping the series against Houston Baptist University last weekend on the road, the Nicholls State University baseball team has a chance to improve their 6-14 overall record this weekend as they face in-state rival, McNeese State University, this weekend at home.

GAME RECAPS
As they traveled to Houston last weekend, the Colonels were fueled by their mid-week 4-2 victory over Purdue University. The winning streak was extended into the first game of the series where the Colonels earned a 5-4 win. The winning train came to a halt as Nicholls dropped the remaining two games to the Huskies.

The first game of the series last Friday, March 16, was highlighted by senior outfielder Chet Niehaus when he delivered a two-run homer in the eighth inning. The team scored their remaining three runs in the 11th inning, ending in a Colonel victory.

Due to inclement weather, it was decided that the Colonels and the Huskies would schedule a double-header on Saturday, March 17, to conclude the series.

In the first game on Saturday, the Huskies tallied 13 runs while the Colonels could only record four. A strong performance by Husky outfielder Spencer Halloran included two home runs and 5 RBI’s.

The deficit in the second match was much closer and Nicholls had a clean shot at winning the series, as they only lost 4-3.

The last game of the series allowed the Colonels to light up the scoreboard first as they earned two runs in the second inning when senior Kyle Knauth made it home on a Husky throwing error, and senior Gage Teer reached home base off junior Landon Powell’s sacrifice fly.

With the Colonels up in the last inning, a walk-off two-run homer by Houston Baptist’s Matt Heck secured the Husky victory.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Colonels have a chance to improve their overall record as they approach a block of four consecutive home games beginning this Friday, March 23.

Last spring, the Colonels put up an impressive 21-9 home record on the season, showing that they are more than capable of racking up the wins on their home turf.

Now, they are currently 5-5 for games played at home and they have won two out of their last four home games.

After this weekend, the Colonels will approach a short hiatus in Southland Conference (SLC) play, as they will not face another SLC opponent until April 6, when they are scheduled to matchup against Sam Houston State University in a three-game series at Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier Field.

If the Colonels take advantage of their upcoming games at home, they can make improvements to their record before getting into the thick of their SLC schedule.