HOUSTON – A big fourth inning that included three home runs gave HCU a 6-5 lead but the visiting Nicholls Colonels scored the final five runs of the game to defeat the Huskies in a Southland Conference game at Husky Field on Friday evening.
The Colonels (15-17, 7-9 SLC) opened the game with a one-out two-run home run from Caston Thompson to take a quick 2-0 lead. Keegan Giger then led off the second with a triple to the left center gap and then scored on a groundout to add a run.
Nicholls kept its momentum going in the third, pushing across two more runs on three hits to increase its advantage to 5-0. In the bottom of the third,
Preston Curtis and
Tyree Jackson drew back-to-back walks to open the inning.
Jeremy Rader moved them up with a sacrifice bunt and then
Levi Castilleja was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out.
Luke Bard lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Curtis and get the Huskies (14-17, 6-8 SLC) on the board and make it a 5-1 ballgame through three.
HCU's bats came alive in the fourth as Nicholls turned to relief pitcher Tyler Avery.
Katcher Halligan drew a walk to lead things off before
Nico DeFazio sent a 1-2 offering 404 feet to left center field for a two-run home run, cutting the HCU deficit in half.
Anthony Avalos was then hit by a pitch followed by a Curtis bomb to left that traveled 413 feet and evened the game at 5-5. Peyton Lacy then replaced Avery on the mound and the first batter he faced, Jackson, welcomed him with a 421-foot blast to center on a 3-1 count that put HCU ahead, 6-5.
In the top of the fifth, reliever
Kenan Elarton retired the first two batters of the inning before running into trouble. Nicholls strung together three-consecutive doubles to score two runs and regain a 7-6 lead. The Huskies managed to send just three batters to the plate in each of the next three innings while still trailing by just one.
DeFazio led off the eighth with a single through the right side but a strikeout and fielder's choice followed, leaving the Huskies with Curtis on first with two outs. Jackson drove a double deep to left with Curtis racing around to try and score but the HCU outfielder was called out on a bang-bang play at the plate. Nicholls then added three insurance runs in the ninth.
Bard continued his torrid stretch at the plate, going 2-for-3 and raising his season average to .404 and running his hitting streak to 11 games. He also has five multi-hit games in the last six games. Curtis, DeFazio, Jackson and
Jack Walker all had two hits, as well, with Curtis driving in two and scoring twice. Jackson's home run was hit team-high fifth of the season.
Elarton took the loss on the mound for HCU, falling to 0-2 after allowing two earned runs on three this with one strikeout and no walks in two innings pitched.
Joshua Caravalho started on the mound, pitching three innings and allowing five runs with four earned. The senior struck out two, walked none and allowed five hits.
The rubber game of the three-game series is set for Saturday, Apr. 4, at Husky Field with a 12:00 p.m. start time.
