LAKE CHARLES, La. – The Nicholls State University baseball team pounded out 17 hits and scored in five consecutive innings as the Colonels defeated McNeese on Sunday, 8-5, to take the Southland Conference opening series on Sunday at Joe Miller Ballpark.
The 17 hits were the second most for the Colonels (15-11, 2-1 SLC) this season, trailing only the 18 in last weekend’s win against Nebraska. Despite falling in the opening game against McNeese (16-8, 1-2 SLC), Nicholls totaled 40 hits over the weekend for a .328 team batting average.
Each Colonel in the lineup had at least one hit on Sunday, with three posting three-hit efforts at the plate — Austin Cain, Gerardo Villarreal and Hunter LeBlanc. MaCrae Kendrick added two hits and drove in three while Edgar Alvarez was 2-for-3 with two walks.
As good as the offense was in the win, the pitching staff limited the Cowboys to seven hits. Starter Jacob Mayers struck out five batters and allowed one hit in 4.0 innings but walked seven batters. A walk in the first led to a Josh Leslie RBI single for an early 1-0 McNeese lead.
But it was all Colonels for the next five innings. Kendrick tied the game in the second with an RBI single and Xane Washington homered for the second time this week, putting Nicholls ahead 2-1 in the third. Then two singles in the fourth set up a 2-run double off the bat of LeBlanc.
In the fifth, Garrett Felix and Cain both doubled and Kendrick followed with a 2-run base hit to center field for a commanding 6-1 lead. With the double, Felix pushed his hitting streak to double figures at 10 games.
The Colonels added another run in the sixth on an RBI groundout by Washington, but McNeese answered in the bottom half with a Andruw Gonzales home run off of Josh Mancuso. Then in the seventh, the Cowboys cut the deficit to 7-4 after a sacrifice fly and a Colonel error.
In the eighth, both squads had promising starts to their inning but neither came away with a run. The Colonels loaded the bases but had their threat ended on a line-out double play. McNeese filled the bags with one out as well but Harper Jordan fanned two batters to escape the inning.
Villarreal led off the ninth with a solo homer for an 8-5 lead, then McNeese scored on an RBI double with one out. Nico Saltaformaggio took over on the mound and allowed a single, but went on to retire the next two batters for the save.
Mancuso picked up the win with three strikeouts in 2.0 innings of relief. Jordan also tossed 2.0 innings, allowing three hits and an earned run.
Gonzales led McNeese with a 3-for-5 day at the plate. Zach Voss suffered with loss with four earned runs on eight hits in 4.0 innings.
ON DECK
Nicholls will host South Alabama on Wednesday, March 29 for a 6:30 p.m. matchup. The game will air on ESPN+.
{Courtesy: Nicholls Athletics}