THIBODAUX, Louisiana – The series opener pitting the Southland Conference's top two pitching staffs lived up to its billing as Nicholls' Ryan Deemes outdueled HBU's
Taylor Wright in the Colonels' 2-1 victory over the Huskies Friday night at Ray E. Didier Field.
Deemes (5-2) allowed one run, which was unearned, four hits, struck out three and walked three in seven innings for Nicholls (26-16-1, 12-10 SLC). Robbie Petty tossed a scorless inning, then Stuart Holmes closed it out for his 14
th save.
Wright (6-6) allowed two runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and no walks for the Huskies (22-21, 12-10). Senior righthander
Josh Martinez hurled two perfect innings in relief, striking out three.
Darius Knight was 2-for-4 for the Colonels, while Justin Holt singled and scored and Kyle Reese singled, drove in a run and scored.
Five different batters, singled for the Huskies, and junior second baseman
Greg Espinosa scored their only run.
Holt and Knight led off the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles, then Reese lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score the game's first run.
The Huskies answered in the second when Espinosa was hit by a pitch to lead off and went to second on a sacrifice bunt. Junior leftfielder
Brandon Morones hit a chopper to second for an infield single, but the second baseman tried to throw behind Espinosa at third and threw it into the Colonels' dugout, allowing HBU to tie the game.
The game remained tied at 1-1 until the bottom of the sixth, when Reese double, then a wild pitch and a throwing error allowed the go-ahead run, which proved to be the game-winner, to score.
HBU threatened in the eighth when Nehrir led off with a single, then went to second on a sacrifice bunt, then senior third baseman
Curtis Jones reached on an infield single to put runners on the corners. After senior catcher
Samm Wiggins failed to get down a squeeze bunt, he struck out, then Nehrir was thrown out at home on an attempted double steal to end the inning.
The series continues Saturday with a 6 p.m. first pitch, followed by the finale Sunday at 1 p.m. The audio broadcast for each game can be heared on HBUHuskies.com and the Legacy Sports Network, beginning 15 minutes prior to the first pitch with the pregame show.
