Nicholls baseball sealed series win over McNeese

The Nicholls State University baseball team earned their first series win of the season after they beat McNeese State University in the first two games of the weekend.

GAME RECAPS
In the first game of the series, the Colonels shut out the Cowboys in a 1-0 win, with senior left-handed pitcher Alex Ernestine leading from the mound.

The Colonels scored their lone run in the second inning after a Lee Clark single managed to bring freshman Xane Washington to home plate.

The second game of the series saw more action on the bases than the first one, as the Colonels racked up the runs in a 7-2 victory over the Cowboys.

The Colonels scored a single run in the first inning before tacking four more onto the board in the third inning. They finished off with a run in the seventh and eighth innings.

Two of the runs were fueled by RBI groundouts by senior Gage Teer. Seniors Kyle Knauth and Chet Niehaus combined in the seventh when Knauth’s double plated Niehaus. Freshman Dane Simon also scored a run off senior Ethan Valdez’s hit.

The Colonels dropped the last game of the series in a 5-4 result, even though Nicholls had maintained the lead throughout.

After scoring two in the third and two in the fifth, the 4-1 lead was spoiled when the Cowboys exploded in the final frame with four runs.

Junior pitcher Jacob Bedevian threw six straight innings before sophomore Bryan Taylor entered the game in the seventh. Redshirt sophomore Austin Bollinger made an appearance on the mound in the ninth before Christian Bahlinger finished off the night.

LOOKING AHEAD
Coming off their fourteenth consecutive win over McNeese at their home field, the Colonels earned their first Southland Conference (SLC) series win. This improves their record to 8-15 overall and 4-5 SLC.

With this weekend’s wins under their belt, the Colonels are set to face Mississippi State University at home this Tuesday, Mar. 27, before they embark on a four-game away streak.

According to senior pitcher Cayden Hatcher, these wins came at an important time in their schedule, and will help motivate the team for their upcoming games.

“It feels great because it was a crucial time in our season that we had to get going,” Hatcher said. “It was a big mountain we had to climb as a team this week with really tough practices, and it taught us that we had to come together as one unit. Once we realized that, it didn’t matter who we were playing. If we are all together as one, the things we can do are indescribable.”