THIBODAUX, Louisiana – Nicholls rallied for the tying run in the eighth inning then scored the game-winning run on a controversial play at the plate in the ninth for a 4-3 victory over HBU in the second game of the Southland Conference series Saturday night at Ray E. Didier Field.
Senior centerfielder
Zach Nehrir was 2-for-4 with a solo home run for the Huskies (22-22, 12-11 SLC), while junior leftfielder
Brandon Morones was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Senior catcher
Samm Wiggins also hit a solo home run for HBU.
Justin Holt went 4-for-5 with a double and scored twice for the Colonels (27-16-1, 13-10). Darius Knight was 3-for-4, Kyle Reese was 2-for-5 scored a run and drove in the game-winner. Tanner Vandevere was 2-for-4 and drove in a pair.
Robbie Petty (3-1) earned the win, holding HBU scoreless over the final two and one-third innings. Nicholls starter Grant Borne allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits with five strikeouts and three walks in six and two-thirds innings.
Junior
Dylan Zarosky (0-1) took the loss for the Huskies, allowing a run in one inning of work. Starter
Matthew McCollough shut out Nicholls through five, but wound up giving up two runs on seven hits in five and two-thirds innings.
Wiggins broke a scoreless tie in the fourth with a solo home run to left, his team-leading fifth of the season and ninth of his HBU career. The Huskies added a run in the fifth, when Morones led off with a single, went to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior first baseman
Andrew Alvarez and later scored when Nehrir reached on an error to give the Huskies a 2-0 lead.
Nicholls answered in the sixth when Holt and Knight led off with singles. Reese also singled, but Knight was thrown at second as Holt was held up a third. Vandevere followed with an RBI single, then Seth Stevens delivered a two-out, pinch-hit single to tie the game, 2-2.
Nehrir quickly untied the score, blasting a solo shot to left, his fourth of the year.
Holt led off the eighth with a double, went to third on a single by Knight, then scored on a infield single by Vandervere to once again tie it 3-3.
David Zorn flied out to lead off the ninth, but Joey Morales singled to right, the Holt followed with a single through the hole on the right side. Senior third baseman
Curtis Jones was brought in to intentionally walk Knight, as Zarosky went to third, then Zarosky came back on to face Reese. With the infield in, Reese hit a weak chopper to second,
Greg Espinosa threw home for the force out, but Morales was called safe to clinch the series for the Colonels.
The series concludes with a 1 p.m. first pitch Sunday. The audio broadcast will be available on HBUHuskies.com, beginning with the pregame show at 12:45.
