COMMERCE – A seven-run fourth inning aided the Nicholls Colonels in a 13-6 win on Sunday morning and complete the three-game sweep over the East Texas A&M University softball team at the John Cain Family Softball Complex.
The Lions fall to 9-29 overall and 5-10 in Southland Conference play, sitting in eighth place, while the Colonels are now 19-20 overall and 9-6 in SLC action, having won their last nine.
Claire Sisco led off the game by drawing a walk and after a fly out, she stole second. Following another fly out, Reagan Heflin brought home Sisco with a single to left center. In the bottom of the first,
Tatum Wright (Frisco – Centennial) led off the inning with a solo home run to right, her eighth of the season.
TATUM WRIGHT HOME RUN HIGHLIGHT
Lilliana Robledo singled up the middle and came around to score on a double to right center by Riley Rutherford to start the second inning. After a sacrifice bunt to advance Rutherford to third by Carmella Muccilli, Laylin Sturm drew a walk.
Rutherford scored on obstruction as Sturm stole second and Erin Krause drove in Sturm with a base hit to the shortstop.
In the bottom of the second,
Emmie Miehe (Cameron Park, Calif.) singled to short and then
Isabella Arzola (Chino, Calif.) drew a walk. Both runners advanced a base on a groundout and Wright drew a walk to load the bases.
Stephanie Tapia (Yuma, Ariz.) also drew a walk as Miehe scored.
Charli Anger (Lubbock – Cooper) drew a walk and both
Maddie Cason (Honey Grove) and Rodrigues hit bunt singles to load the bases with no outs. After a strikeout,
Darby Hickey (Plano Senior) came in as a pinch hitter and plated Anger on a fielder's choice as the Colonels tagged out Cason at third.
Through the first three innings, the Lions left six runners on base and nine in the game.
Seven runs scored on seven hits and an error for the Colonels in the fourth. Rutherford doubled down the right field line to begin the inning and scored as Muccilli reached on a throwing error and she scored on a two-run double to center by Sisco, as did Sturm, who reached on base via a base hit.
After a Lion pitching change, Krause plated Sisco with a single to left center and Molly VandenBout singled to right to put runners at the corners with no outs and forced another Lion pitching change. Heflin plated VandenBout and Krause with a single to second and Heflin scored on a single up the middle by Robledo.
Tapia homered for the third straight game, hitting a solo home run to left in the bottom of the fourth, her eighth of the season as well.
STEPHANIE TAPIA HOME RUN HIGHLIGHT
Aaliyah Wilcox (Covington, Ga.) singled through the left side and was pinch run for by
Kasey Kuyrkendall (Royse City). Anger reached on a fielder's choice with the Colonels tagging out Kuyrkendall at second and Anger came around to score on a single by Cason, who reached third on a fielding error.
In the sixth, Ally Mooneyham drew a pinch-hit walk and after a Lion pitching change, Robledo singled up the middle, and then both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch. Rutherford collected another RBI, plating Mooneyham on a sacrifice fly to right as Robledo advanced to third and she scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Muccilli.
Tapia drew a walk and advanced to third on a double to left by Wilcox. Anger brought home Tapia with a sacrifice fly to center.
Heflin, Robledo, and Sturm had three hits each in the game for Nicholls, while Wilcox and Cason both went 3 for 4 in the game for the Lions.
Averi Paden collected the complete-game win for the Colonels, allowing five earned runs.
Julia Sanchez (The Kinkaid School) surrendered five earned runs in three innings and got the loss.
UP NEXT
The Lions make the trip down to SFA for a three-game series on Tuesday-Wednesday before returning home next weekend. Tuesday's doubleheader begins at 4 p.m.
-ETAMU-
