Two-run homer by Poche’ pushes No. 3 Nicholls to 2-1 win over No. 7 HCU

LAKE CHARLES, La. – The third seed Nicholls Colonels stayed alive in the 2023 Southland Conference Softball Championship with a 2-1 win over seventh seed HCU to start action Thursday at Cowgirl Diamond.

Nicholls moves to 28-23 overall on the season and will face fifth seed A&M-Corpus Christi in another elimination game at 4 p.m. Thursday. The Huskies’ season ends at 20-33.

Both pitching units were strong, as Nicholls starter Audrey McNeill went the distance allowing one run on four hits with six strikeouts, and HCU’s Grofman allowed only two runs in 5.0 innings on five hits with five strikeouts.

For the Colonels, the scoring came with two outs in the third inning, when Alexa Poche’ hit a two-run homerun to left-center, scoring herself and Andersen, who had singled to lead off the inning and stolen second.

Autumn Sydlik led off the top of the fourth for HCU with a solo homer to the left-center gap, followed by Jasie Roberts working her way to third on a walk, sacrifice bunt, and wild pitch with one out, but she was stranded there.

From there, McNeill did not allow a Husky to reach base, keeping the Colonels’ tournament run going.

For Nicholls, Poche’ went 2-for-3 and was the only Colonel with multiple hits. For HCU, SLC Freshman of the Year AB Garcia went 2-for-3.