THIBODAUX, La. — The Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team dropped both ends of a Southland Conference doubleheader to Nicholls, 6-5 in 11 innings and 9-0, Sunday at Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier Field.
Nicholls (27-18, 12-6 SLC) swept the three-game series against Southeastern (19-25, 4-14 SLC) and now the Lions find themselves in danger of being eliminated from postseason competition.
SLU continues on its current six-game road trip with a must-win conference series, May 12-14, against Houston Christian at Husky Field in Houston, Texas. All three games are slated for coverage on ESPN+.
GAME 1 – Nicholls 6, SLU 5 (11 innings)
Andrew Landry was locked in early, striking out five of the first six batters he faced. The junior right-hander from Slidell, Louisiana would eventually establish a new career-high with eight strikeouts in the contest.
The Colonels struck first, pushing ahead the first run of the game in the fourth inning. Three singles in the inning, coupled with a throwing error by second baseman Rhett Rosevear led to an unearned run.
SLU answered with a pair of runs in the fifth to take the lead. Three consecutive singles by Jake Killingsworth, Bryce Grizzaffi and McGwire Turner loaded the bases with no outs. Killingsworth scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of TJ Salvaggio and Dane Watts laid down a sac bunt to plate Grizzaffi.
Nicholls tied the game up in the bottom of the inning. After a leadoff single, an errant pickoff throw by Landry put the runner in scoring position. Advancing to third on a groundout, the runner scored on a balk.
Landry continued to roll through the Colonel lineup and Southeastern scratched across a run in the eighth to regain the lead. Watts reached on a one-out single and then stole second base. With two outs, Watts scored from second on an infield single by Tyler Finke.
The Colonels regained the lead in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Landry issued his first walk of the game and hit the next batter. Reliever Jackson Rodriguez was greeted by a single, loading the bases. Rodriguez induced a comebacker to the mound but dropped the ball and his eventual throw to the plate was late. A sac fly brought home the go-ahead run.
SLU bounced back to tie up the game in the ninth. Michael Curry reached on an infield single. Pinch-runner Joe Delaney stole second and advanced to third on a groundout. Pinch-hitter Connor Manola plated Delaney with a sacrifice fly.
Connor Spencer struck out the final batter in the bottom of the ninth, stranding the potential winning run at third and forcing extra innings.
In the 10th, Salvaggio reached on a lead-off walk. He was erased on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Watts. A balk and a wild pitch advanced Watts to third before he scored on Rosevear’s sacrifice fly to left, giving the Lions a 5-4 lead.
Nicholls tied the game up in the bottom of the inning off Spencer. A one-out double to left-center field put the tying run in scoring position. A line drive back to the pitcher caromed off Spencer’s glove and up the middle for a single, bringing home the tying run.
The Colonels picked up another unearned run in the 11th to finish it off. Reliever Lance Lauve hit the first batter he faced, but turned a double play off a sacrifice bunt to clear the bases. After Lauve issued a pair of walks, reliever Reid Reynolds induced a ground ball that went under Salvaggio’s glove for an error, allowing the winning run to score. It was Salvaggio’s fifth error in the last three games.
Landry allowed four runs – all unearned – in 7.1 innings pitched. He surrendered six hits and one walk, striking out eight. He did not factor in the decision.
Nico Saltaformaggio (5-1) earned the win for the second time in as many games. He allowed one run on two hits and two walks, striking out two. Lauve (2-3) suffered the loss. The fourth of five Lions pitchers, he allowed one run – it was unearned – in 0.2 innings of work.
Finke led SLU at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a walk and one RBI.
GAME 2 – Nicholls 9, SLU 0
Nicholls took the lead in the second inning and never looked back, loading the bases with just one out. A sacrifice fly off the bat of the ninth-place hitter in the Colonel lineup plated the first run. An RBI single and a throwing error by Salvaggio trying to cut down the runner advancing to third led to two more runs.
In the fifth, a four-run rally began with an error by third baseman Shea Thomas. A single, three-run home run, double and RBI single followed as the Colonels pushed their lead to 7-0.
Five more hits in the eighth led to a pair of runs off reliever Levi Bennett.
Nicholls starting pitcher Jacob Mayers (7-1) earned the win, tossing five scoreless innings. He surrendered two hits and walked six, striking out five batters. SLU starting pitcher Brennan Stuprich suffered the loss, allowing seven runs – four earned – in 4.2 innings pitched.
{Courtesy: Southeastern Athletics}