THIBODAUX, Louisiana – HBU jumped out to a lead with a run in the first, but the Nicholls pitching staff settled in to shut the Huskies out the rest of the way in the Colonels' 3-1 victory in Southland Conference baseball Saturday night at Ray E. Didier Field.
Senior rightfielder
Joe Van Marter went 2-for-4, while senior centerfielder
Zane Otten extended his hitting streak to five games and scored for the Huskies (8-9, 0-2 SLC).
Troy Cahill went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and a run for the Colonels (11-8, 4-1 SLC), while Juan Givan went 2-for-4 with a triple and a run and Joey Morales went 2-for-4.
Senior lefthander
Christian Thames (2-1) took the loss for HBU, allowing three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Sophomore righthander
Daniel Endsley pitched 2.2 innings of scoreless relief.
Cayden Hatcher (2-1) held the Huskies to one unearned run on five hits with six strikeouts and a walk in 7.0 innings. Alex Ernestine pitched a perfect eighth, while Adam Tarver earned his third save with a perfect ninth.
Otten reached on an error by Hatcher in the first, then went to second on another error by Hatcher on a pick-off throw. Van Marter reached on an error by the third baseman, then senior third baseman
Austin Zillweger was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Junior designated hitter
Matt Heck followed with a walk for the HBU's lone run of the game.
In the bottom of the second, Ethan Valdez singled, then Cahill hit a two-run home run to leftcenter, his third of the season, to give the Colonels a 2-1 lead. Nicholls added a run in the sixth when Givan tripled, then scored on a single by Norry Galjour.
The series concludes with the finale Sunday at 1 p.m.
