THIBODAUX, La. - Hoping to snap a five-game losing streak, Lamar University spent Thursday evening playing a doubleheader with Nicholls State University. While the Cardinals would fall in the first game to make it six straight losses, they would finally put an end to the skid in the second game.
The first game would see LU go up 4-1 only to fall in a heartbreaker in extra innings.
Hayley Freudenberg recorded half of LU's four hits and drove in an RBI wile
Kaylee Ancelot had two RBI on one hit.
Karyana Mitchell started the game and would go 5.2 innings allowing four runs on eight hits with two strikeouts.
Cameron Niedenthal would be tagged with the loss despite 2.0 innings allowing one run on four hits.
The Angry Red Birds of LU finally came to life in the second game as they erupted for 10 runs in a five-inning 10-0 shutout win. Offensively, Big Red recorded 10 hits, with Ancelot, who finished with a career-best four-RBI game,
Aleka Xayaseng, and Niedenthal each picking up two hits while
Sam Bean drove in two RBI.
Aaliyah Ruiz pitched all five innings allowing two hits while striking out six batters.
Game 1: Nicholls 5, LU 4 (8 Innings)
Two scoreless innings would go by before the Colonels broke through in the third inning on an RBI single by Erin Krause. But in the top of the fifth inning, LU broke out with four runs. After LaRue led off with a single and was pinched ran for by Estella Garza before Bean drew a walk,
Aleka Xayaseng reached on an error by second that scored Garza for a 1-1 tie. A single by Freudenberg scored Bean to grab the 2-1 lead before Ancelot drove in two more runs to extend it to 4-1.
Momentum swung back to Nicholls, who got one run back thanks to a leadoff homer by Adie Brake in the bottom of the fifth. Then, the Colonels tied the score in the sixth as Melise Gossen drove in a run on a sacrifice fly while Brake singled in the fourth run. Big Red was retired in order in the top of the seventh and the Colonels loaded the bases in the bottom half of the seventh. But Niedenthal retired the next three hitters and kept all three Colonel runners on base to send the game to extras.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals could not capitalize on their chance as they again were retired in order in the top of the eighth inning. With one on and two outs in the bottom of the eighth, an RBI single by Claire Sisco ended the contest.
Game 2: LU 10, Nicholls 0 (5 Innings)
Determined to atone from their earlier defeat, the Cardinals opened game two with three first inning runs. Ancelot drove in two on a double while Ramirez singled her in. The Cardinals would extend their lead 8-0 over the next two innings as
Aleka Xayaseng tripled in Garza and later scored on a Freudenberg sacrifice fly in the second. Then in the third,
Emilee LaRue reached first on a bunt single scoring
Kalyn Xayaseng while Bean drove her and Kailie Amos to make it 8-0.
Big Red continued to score in the fourth as Ancelot sent a 3-2 pitch over the left field wall for a two-run shot and a 10-0 lead. As for Ruiz, she would have no trouble mowing down the Colonel hitters to preserve the shutout.
Barring any issues with weather tomorrow, LU and Nicholls will try to get their final game of the series in at noon.
