Game 1 – Nicholls 5, McNeese 3
Erin Krause and Lilianna Robledo each delivered solo home runs, and Molly Yoo tossed a complete game to lead the Nicholls State University softball team to a 5-3 victory over McNeese in the series opener Friday night at Swanner Field at Geo Surfaces Park.
With the win, Nicholls (17-12, 5-2 SLC) snapped a six-game skid against the Cowgirls and earned just its second victory in the last 16 meetings with McNeese (20-10, 4-3 SLC).
Nicholls outhit McNeese, 8-6, with the two home runs proving to be the difference. After the Cowgirls took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a groundout, Krause answered with a solo shot to right field to tie the game.
The Colonels grabbed the lead in the third inning as Laylin Sturm walked, stole second, and scored on an RBI single by Madison Moak. Nicholls extended its advantage in the fourth when Robledo launched a solo homer to left, then added another run later in the inning on a Gabby Higbee fielder’s choice.
McNeese trimmed the deficit in the fifth following a leadoff walk and an error, as Maddie Taylor delivered a two-run double to make it a one-run game. The Cowgirls threatened again in the sixth, but Yoo stranded a runner at third with a strikeout to end the inning.
Nicholls added an insurance run in the bottom half as Sturm drove in a run with an RBI single. McNeese opened the seventh with a double, but Yoo induced three straight groundouts to seal the complete-game victory. She finished with three strikeouts and allowed three runs on six hits.
Reagan Heflin led the Colonels with two hits, including a triple, in the win.
Games 2 & 3 – Nicholls Sweeps Doubleheader, Clinches Series
The Friday night victory set the tone for the weekend, as Nicholls (19-12, 7-2 SLC) rallied in both games of Saturday’s doubleheader to secure a 6-5 extra-inning win and a 5-4 victory, completing a series sweep of McNeese (20-12, 4-5 SLC).
The sweep marked the Colonels’ first three-game series sweep of the Cowgirls since 1992 and kept Nicholls tied for second place in the Southland Conference standings alongside UIW.
Game 2 – Nicholls 6, McNeese 5 (8 innings)
Gabby Higbee delivered in the clutch, tying the game with a solo home run in the sixth inning before driving in the game-winning run with a bases-loaded single in the eighth, as Nicholls erased a 5-1 deficit.
The Colonels totaled 10 hits, with Higbee, Madison Moak, and Erin Krause each recording two. Kayleigh Lugowski added a key double to help spark the offense.
Nicholls took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning, but McNeese answered with five runs in the third, highlighted by a two-run homer from Maddie Taylor.
Nicholls chipped away with a two-out rally in the third on an RBI double by Krause, then pulled within one in the fifth when Lilianna Robledo drove in two with a double. Higbee’s solo homer in the sixth tied the game.
In relief, Sierra Ouellette was dominant, tossing 5.1 shutout innings with six strikeouts. She retired the final eight batters she faced to send the game into extras.
In the eighth, Reagan Heflin and Brynne Songy reached base before Lugowski was intentionally walked to load the bases. Higbee then delivered the walk-off single through the infield to complete the comeback.
Game 3 – Nicholls 5, McNeese 4
McNeese jumped out to a four-run lead in the second inning, but Nicholls answered with four runs of its own in the third before Reagan Heflin drove in the go-ahead run in the fifth to finish off the sweep.
Molly Yoo was outstanding in relief, tossing 5.2 shutout innings with six strikeouts while scattering six hits.
Nicholls’ big third inning featured three consecutive singles, an RBI groundout by Erin Krause, and a bases-clearing double from Heflin to tie the game at 4-4.
In the fifth, Lilianna Robledo doubled and advanced to third on a wild pitch before Heflin delivered an RBI single up the middle for the decisive run.
Yoo worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth and closed out the game in the seventh, stranding a runner to secure the win.
Heflin finished with two hits and four RBIs, while Brynne Songy also recorded two hits.
