Colonels outlast ACU in series finale, down Wildcats 7-4

ABILENE, Texas — After enduring a tough pair of tight losses during Saturday’s doubleheader, the Nicholls State University baseball program (9-10, 6-2 SLC) recovered in Sunday’s series finale against Abilene Christian (12-7, 4-4 SLC) behind some timely hitting and a strong outing from starter Nick Heckman, powering past the Wildcats by a decisive 7-4 margin to force an even split of the four-game weekend set at Crutcher Scott Field in Abilene, Texas.

Despite falling behind by two runs in the first, the Colonels battled back with a pair of their own later in the third frame off an RBI walk from sophomore Austin Cain and an RBI single from freshman Parker Coddou. From that point on, the Red & Gray took advantage of multiple Wildcat mistakes en route to the eventual three-run victory, scoring on three wild pitches along with a throwing error by the catcher on a failed pick-off attempt.

KEY STORYLINES & STATISTICS
— With the series-concluding win, the Colonels improve to 9-10 overall for the season and 6-2 within Southland competition; meanwhile, Abilene Christian falls to a 12-7 mark along with a 4-4 record in league play.
— Sophomore Nick Heckman (1-1) impressed across 7.0 innings of work, collecting his first win of the year with just three runs allowed on five hits. Senior Beau Balado and junior closer Joe Taylor took over for a frame each, as the former surrendered no runs on zero hits while the latter struck out one while giving up one run on a single hit.
— Notably, the Red & Gray offense proved relatively lackluster despite the solid seven-run outing, as only senior Greg Anderberg finished with double-digit hits (two) and just three Colonels notched RBIs on the day. However, the Nicholls base-running efforts effectively upended the Wildcats down the stretch, as the Red & Gray swiped two bags and made the best of eight total ACU missteps — four wild pitches and four errors — as the team plated four crucial runs due to the blunders.

UP NEXT
With the ACU trip wrapped up, the Colonels return home for a four-game series against Houston Baptist this upcoming weekend, hosting the Huskies Friday, Mar. 26 through Sunday, Mar. 28 at Ray E. Didier Field.

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