THIBODAUX, La. – The University of the Incarnate Word baseball team battled behind solid pitching by Kayden Cassidy in a deadlocked pitcher's duel, but it was Nicholls who came away with a late, 2-1, win to open the series at Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier Field on Friday night.
Cassidy threw 6 1/3 innings with six strikeouts, scattering five Colonel hits on the night.
UIW scored after two batters for the second game in a row as Wilson Ehrhardt led off with a four-pitch walk and moved to second on a wild pitch for Grant Smith to knock him in with an RBI single to left field for a quick 1-0 lead.
Cassidy was potent early, getting five of the first six batters out with three strikeouts before Austin Cain broke through with a single. Cain advanced to second on a wild pitch and Dillon Belle later scored Cain with an RBI double to tie the game in the second inning.
After quiet third and fourth innings from both sides with each starting pitcher mowing down the offenses, Nicholls scratched the go-ahead run across in the bottom of the fifth inning. Belle lead off with a deep double to center, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and later scored on a hard-hit sac fly to right field to make it 2-1, Colonels.
The Cardinals rolled the dice in the seventh inning to try to get the tying run across. Chance Medina reached first after getting hit by a pitch. Ehrhardt roped a double to the centerfield wall and Medina got the green light to round third. Medina tried to score from first, but a perfect relay throw nabbed him at the plate.
The Cardinals were able to get runners on in the eighth inning with two outs, Ryan Flores reached on a hit-by-pitch and Ridge Rogers singled to left, but Zach Limas was not able to knock them in with a strikeout to end the inning.
Nicholls' closer Joe Taylor did not allow a runner on in the top of the ninth with three strikeouts to pick up his eighth save on the season.
ON DECK
The Cardinals and Colonels continue the four-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday at 3 p.m. and one game Sunday at 2 p.m.
FAN INVOLVEMENT
Join Cardinals Club today! Email UIW Baseball Director of Operations, Maddy Jordan (majorda1@uiwtx.edu) for more information.
FOLLOW ALONG
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