| Senior Ryan Saltzgaber was 3-for-4 on Friday night. |
THIBODAUX, La. ? Nicholls State scored three two-out runs in the seventh inning and rallied for a 4-1 victory against UTSA on Friday night at Ray Didier Field.
The Roadrunners saw their six-game winning streak come to an end and fell to 30-19 overall and 20-5 in Southland Conference play. The Colonels, meanwhile, won their fourth straight and improved to 10-40 and 6-19.
UTSA starter Josh Ruffin (6-3) was on cruise control through the first 6.2 innings, allowing just three singles while striking out a career-high nine.
However, a bunt single by Zac Bone, followed by back-to-back walks to Anthony Wray and Keith Kulbeth, loaded he bases with two down in the seventh. Ryan Bledsoe then stroked a two-run single through the right side to give the Colonels the lead for good. Senior Josh Blakley, who relieved Ruffin following the base hit, uncorked a wild pitch two batters later to bring home the third run of the inning.
Nicholls State starter Lance Dupuis (3-4) kept the league’s top offense at bay all night, giving up just an unearned run on six hits, while fanning seven in seven innings. Southpaw Brian Sparks relieved him to start the eighth and held the Roadrunners scoreless to pick up his second save of the year.
The game was scoreless through the first five innings, largely due to the fact that UTSA stranded runners in scoring position in each of those frames. The Roadrunners stranded nine base runners on the night.
UTSA finally broke through in the sixth with an unearned run. Sophomore Michael Rockett reached on an error by Kulbeth to start the stanza and then moved to third when Dupuis threw wildly to first on a failed pick-off attempt. Rockett then came home on senior Ryan Saltzgaber’s one-out RBI single to left.
The Colonels tied the game at one with a controversial run in the bottom half of the inning. Kulbeth led off with a grounder to second and was called out on a close play at first base. However, a five-minute meeting between the three umpires followed and Kulbeth was awarded first base, as junior Trent Lockwood was ruled to not have held the bag when he scooped sophomore James Keithley’s throw. The call would prove to be costly, as Kulbeth came home on Shane Barksdale’s one-out single up the middle.
Saltzgaber was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI to lead the UTSA offense. It was his 18th multi-hit game in his last 29 contests. Keithley added a pair of base hits, including his 10th two-bagger of the season.
The series continues at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Junior right-hander Bradley Chovanec (2-4, 5.21 ERA) will oppose southpaw Justin Breaux (1-5, 6.22 ERA).