Baseball: Colonels score five unanswered late to defeat Islanders, 5-3

THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University baseball team rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the seventh against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to pick up a 5-3 victory Friday night on Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier Field.

Neither team could score until the sixth when Texas A&M-Corpus Christi plated a pair for a 2-0 lead. After the Islanders (15-10, 4-3 SLC) added one more in the seventh, Nicholls (12-11, 4-3 SLC) answered in the bottom half. Brady Bell singled in the first run before a dropped ball in center with two outs allowed two runners to score to make it 3-3.

In the eighth, Dillon Belle sparked the decisive inning with a leadoff double to right field. Alec Paz hit the ball back to the pitcher, who elected to go to third for the lead runner, and the ball sailed past the base and Belle scored from second. Brady Bell then gave Nicholls a 5-3 lead on an infield single.

Colin Kramer earned the win, throwing two innings of hitless relief and had the only two strikeouts for the Colonels. Trever Kilcrease made the start, lasting 5.0 innings with two earned runs on six hits.

Adam Tarver, Dane Simon, and Bell each had two hits on the night as Nicholls totaled nine.

The Islanders also had nine hits, led by a 3-for-4 outing from Itchy Burts. The Islander leadoff hitter scored on a sac fly for the first run of the game and then singled in the third run in the seventh.

ON DECK
Nicholls and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi continue the series Saturday at 6 p.m.