Nicholls baseball reaches halfway point in 2018 season

After dropping three games on the road to the University of Arizona, the Colonels faced Louisiana State University this Tuesday in Baton Rouge as they approach the halfway point of their 2018 season.

GAME RECAPS
After beating Mississippi State University last Tuesday at Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier field for the first time in 54 years, the Colonels tried to add more wins in their road series vs. Arizona. At the end of the weekend, the Colonels left with three losses but saw some good action both on the mound and at the plate.

In the first game, the Colonels found themselves down by five with junior starting pitcher Jake Bedevian on the mound. After settling in, he ended up throwing two clean innings in the second and third, but ultimately took the loss.

Veteran leadership answered in the third when senior shortstop Joey Morales plated seniors Brady Bell and Lee Clark, putting two runs on the board. While the Arizona Wildcats scored runs in the majority of the frames, the Colonels only scored one more in the fifth after Clark brought Bell home, which sealed the score at 11-3.

The second game finished with a similar score of 11-5, with the Colonels on the losing end. Nicholls led 4-0 after the first two and a half innings, but could not keep up with the Wildcats for the rest of the game.

Seniors Bell and Clark recorded two hits each, along with Ethan Valdez and Kyle Knauth. The Colonels matched the Wildcats in hits with 11, but left 12 runners on base in the competition.

Senior left-handed pitcher Alex Ernestine had a strong performance on the mound, flying through the first two innings in 27 pitches. He was later switched for Nicholls relief pitcher Christian Bahlinger.

The third and final game was highlighted by the performance of Nicholls pitcher Parker White, who threw four scoreless innings. Despite their effort, it was not enough to keep the Wildcats from sealing the series in a 9-3 victory over the Colonels.

Cayden Hatcher started on the mound for the Colonels but was switched for Bryan Taylor at the bottom of the third. White relieved Taylor in the bottom of the fifth, where he finished out the game.

At the plate, Valdez had two hits and two RBIs, and Clark brought Knauth home on a sacrifice fly. Valdez brought home the final two runs, scoring senior Chet Niehaus on a single in the third and senior Gage Teer on a triple in the fifth. The final result of the weekend was a 9-3 loss.

HALFWAY POINT
With 56 total games scheduled, the Colonels have played 27 so far and have reached the halfway point of their scheduled season.

Currently, Nicholls is 9-18 overall and 4-5 in the Southland Conference (SLC). The Colonels have proved they can defend their home turf, as their home record sits at 8-6 while their away record is 1-6.

So far, the Colonels have only faced three SLC teams in Northwestern State University, Houston Baptist University and McNeese State University. They are scheduled to play against seven more SLC teams, so the Colonels have ample time to improve their overall and conference records.