YOUNGSVILLE, La. - The Nicholls State University softball team made quick work of Green Bay in its opener with an 11-1 run-rule victory but came up short in Game 2, falling to North Dakota, 4-2, Friday on Day 1 of the Mardi Gras Mambo at the Youngsville Sports Complex.
The Colonels (1-2) continue play on Saturday with a 3:30 p.m. game against Providence College before taking on UT-Arlington.
GAME 1 - Nicholls 11, Green Bay 1 (5 inn.)
The Colonels jumped out to a 3-0 advantage in the first inning and never looked back, defeating Green Bay for their first win of the season.
Nicholls finished with 10 hits and received a strong outing in the circle from
Audrey McNeill. The senior earned the win after allowing one run and one hit while striking out three in 4.0 innings of work.
Averi Paden pitched the fifth to close out the victory.
At the plate,
Claire Sisco,
Alexa Poche' and
Reagan Heflin all turned in two-hit outings. Heflin and
Abby Andersen each drove in a pair of runs.
After McNeill sat the Phoenix down in order in the first, Poche' highlighted a three-run frame with an RBI triple.
Erin Krause and Andersen drove in the other two runs on a fielder's choice and a groundout.
Green Bay scored its lone run of the day in the second thanks to an RBI double. McNeill issued two free passes to start the frame but only allowed the single run. But a leadoff walk in the bottom half made way for a Heflin run-scoring triple for a 4-1 Colonel lead.
Nicholls broke the game open in the fourth with seven runs. The lineup produced seven hits, all singles, with four bringing in a run to put the mercy-rule into play. Heflin, Andersen,
Claire Sisco, and
Molly VandenBout all notched RBI base knocks.
Paden retired Green Bay in order in the fifth to secure the Colonels' first win of the season.
GAME 2 - North Dakota 4, Nicholls 2
The Fighting Hawks broke a 2-2 tie with a pair of runs in the sixth to pick up a 4-2 victory over the Colonels.
Nicholls tried to rally in the sixth and seventh but stranded a total of three runners.
Molly Yoo took the loss, allowing one earned run on five hits in 5.2 innings. She fanned six batters, including two in each of the first two innings.
The Colonels scored in the third thanks to a two-out rally.
Samantha Gwiazda legged out an infield single and then stole second, setting up an RBI single by
Gabby Higbee. But North Dakota answered with its own two-out magic in the fourth.
The Fighting Hawks did not record a hit until Taya Hopfauf tripled to right field with two outs in the frame. A costly error then allowed a run to score and UND added one more via a Mariah Peter single. But the Colonels got the run back on a Heflin two-out RBI single in the bottom half.
In the sixth, a one-out double started the rally for the Fighting Hawks. Catcher
Brynne Songy made a nice diving catch behind the plate for out No. 2, but pinch runner Kaycee Hayes was able to tag from second. The next batter, Katelyn Neum, ripped a single for the eventual game-winning run. Another Colonel error allowed for an insurance run.
After stranding a runner in the sixth, Nicholls looked to have a great start to the seventh but Brooklyn Mor robbed Helfin of a leadoff double with a diving catch in right-center. Nicholls still put two on after singles by
Mckenzie Champagne and Higbee, but with two down, a grounder to short would end the threat and the game.
Higbee was the lone Colonel with multi-hits as the team finished with seven.
Makaela Carr tossed 2.2 innings of shutout relief to earn the win.
