Nicholls launches four homers to take second straight at Southeastern

HAMMOND, La. – The Nicholls State University baseball team hit four home runs including a grand slam by Xane Washington as the Colonels secured the series victory against Southeastern with an 11-4 win Saturday afternoon at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.

Washington’s grand slam came in the third inning and Alec Paz added a solo shot in the fifth for a 6-0 lead.

AND IT’S A GRAND SLAM ‼️

Colonels lead 4-0 ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/iZse3H0bhq

— Nicholls Baseball (@Nicholls_BSB) March 26, 2022

Southeastern (8-15, 0-2 SLC) used two homers in the fifth and sixth innings to make it a two-run game, but Nicholls (12-9, 2-0 SLC) answered in the eighth with solo home runs by Jaden Collura and Basiel Williams. The Colonels added three more runs in the ninth to make the final.

Chase Gearing (3-1) earned in the win for the Red and Gray, allowing four earned runs on five hits in 6.1 innings. Gearing tossed five shutout frames before Evan Keller hit a solo home run in the sixth. Gearing left the game in the seventh after a three-run shot by Bryce Grizzaffi. David Vial Jr. and Devin Desandro pitched the rest of the game, allowing just a lone infield single.

The Colonels doubled up SLU in hits, 12-6, getting two-hit efforts by Washington, Paz, Williams and Edgar Alvarez. Williams singled in the third and two others drew walks to set up Washington’s grand slam off of Hunter O’Toole (1-3). Alvarez, Paz and Hunter LeBlanc all had RBI singles in the ninth to finish off the scoring.

ON DECK
Nicholls will go for its first Southland series sweep since taking four games from Stephen F. Austin to start the 2021 conference schedule. The series finale Sunday starts at 1 p.m. in Hammond.