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| Sophomore Cassie Miller went 2-for-4 with her second homer of the season on Thursday. |
SAN MARCOS ? Amy Thibodeaux hit a game-tying home run with two outs in the top of the seventh and a game-winning blast in the 10th to lift Nicholls State to a 3-2 victory against UTSA in the final game of day one of the Southland Conference Tournament on Thursday at Bobcat Field.
Thibodeaux’s home runs, her 13th and 14th of the season, helped keep the Colonels (30-27) alive in the single-elimination tournament. Meanwhile, the Roadrunners saw their season come to an end at 25-25.
Thibdeaux finished 2-for-4 at the plate to lead an eight-hit output by Nicholls State, while Krystalin Ensminger went the distance in the circle to earn the win, allowing two runs on six hits to improve to 10-13.
Senior Amanda Nikolenko, who broke five UTSA career pitching records this season, was the hard-luck loser. The Ashland, Mo., native also went all 10 frames, allowing just three runs on eigth hits and striking out three. Nikolenko finished her career with on top of the all-time lists for innings (723), starts (107), wins (65), strikeouts (574) and complete games (73).
Sophomore Cassie Miller went 2-for-4 with a home run to lead UTSA at the plate, while senior Lindsay Perry, junior Leanne Risberg and sophomores Rudi Cantu and Kelly Cato also joined the hit column.
Kat Harrell gave the Colonels a quick 1-0 lead with a solo homer to left to lead off the game. Nicholls State went on to load the bases, but Nikolenko worked out of the jam with a foul out to the catcher.
UTSA answered in the bottom of the second, as Cato doubled to right field, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground ball off the bat of Kappler that ended up being mishandled by the second baseman.
Miller gave the Roadrunners a 2-1 lead with a solo shot to left, her second of the season, in the fourth.
Thibodeaux’s heroics kept the Colonels in the field and they will play No. 2-seed UT Arlington at 4 p.m. on Friday.