Anderson’s walk-off home run gives Nicholls 5-4 win in opener of showdown series with Lamar

Nicholls went into its three-game series against Lamar on Friday night with a chance to move into first place in the Southland Conference.

Trailing Lamar by two games, the Colonels would have to win all three games on Ben Meyer Diamond at Raymond Didier Field in Thibodaux. To have any chance, Nicholls had to start with a win over the Cardinals in Game 1.

The Colonels looked as though they might let the opportunity slip away when Lamar scored a run in the top of the ninth inning to tie the game 4-4.

It took until the bottom of the 11th inning, but the Colonels stayed the course when Drake Anderson led off the inning with a walk-off home run to left field to give Nicholls a 5-4 win.

“I just went up to the plate, try to hit the ball as hard as I could. We’re out there trying to get the ‘W’ for the team. I was doing everything I could, even a single. I ended up laying on it and that’s how it goes. I knew it was fair the whole time. I just didn’t know it I got it all, but I did,” Anderson said.

After the home run, Lamar challenged whether Anderson had touched home plate when he was greeted by a pass of Colonel humanity.

“I know 100 percent I touched home plate – 10,000 percent, I made sure I did,” said Anderson.

The win moved Nicholls to 13-6 in the Southland and 31-18 overall. Lamar slipped to 14-5 in the conference and 37-11 overall.

“It’s huge because if we go out tomorrow, we’re first in the conference,” Anderson said of the Friday night win. “If we come out with a sweep, we have a really big advantage. I just went out and did everything I could for the team to win.”

“That’s a postseason game,” Nicholls coach Mike Silva said. “They’re as good as anybody we’ve played all year. It’s a really good team.”

With coaches and players on both sides complaining of an inconsistent strike zone by the home plate umpire, most of the game – but particularly the first two innings – seemed to be a contest of with base on balls or strikeouts.

“I think the zone was a little bit inconsistent, but really, it’s just nerves for both sides,” said Silva. “(Lamar starter Brooks) Caple never walks anybody. He’s as good a pitcher as we’ve seen all year, and I thought he competed his tail off tonight and hats off to all their guys. I thought they threw the ball good.

“I think there was a lot of nerves, a lot at stake. They’re trying to win one and we’re trying to do it again. Our backs are against the wall. They’re trying to come in here. It’s a hard place to come and play.”

Nicholls pitches walked a total of 10 Cardinals batters, including nine by starter Jacob Mayers in 4 2/3 innings. Mayers issued four walks in the first two innings. The sophomore righthander struck out 11 batters and Colonel pitchers finished with 14 strikeouts.

Lamar pitchers walked five. Caple walked four batters. He walked two and hit another in the first inning. Lamar pitchers struck out 10.

Despite the early all or nothing feeling between the walks and strikeouts, few runs scored despite traffic on the bases.

Nicholls took a 1-0 lead I the first inning when Caple’s two walks and a hit batsman loaded the bases to set up a sacrifice fly by Basiel Williams.

Lamar tied the game in the fourth inning when Austin Roccaforte led off with a walk and went to second on a passed ball before scoring on a two-out single by Kanin Dodge.

Mayers walked three batters and struck out two to load the bases in the top of the fifth. He then walked Roccaforte to force in a run. Gavin Galy went to the mound in place of Mayers and got Ethan Ruiz to fly out to right field to end the inning.

Nicholls tied the game in the bottom half of the inning. Caple walked two batters in the inning to set up a two-out single up the middle by Gerardo Villarreal to tie the game.

Lamar took a 3-2 lead with an unearned run in the top of the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly by Roccaforte.

Andres Peres entered the game to open the bottom half of the seventh inning. Anderson, the first batter of the inning, hit a deep fly ball to right field that was caught. Narvin Booker Jr. followed with a fly of his own to right field. Booker’s shot cleared the fence to tie the game 3-3.

Nicholls took a 4-3 lead in the top of the ninth when pinch hitter MaCrae Kendrick hit a two-out homer to center field before Lamar tied the game in the bottom half.

Booker not only came up big at the plate. In the top of the 11th, he robbed Lamar’s River Orsak of an extra-base hit as he crashed into the center field wall. Booker almost pulled off a similar play earlier in the game but had the ball pop out of his glove as he hit the wall.

Nico Saltaformaggio (5-4), the last of four Nicholls pitchers, earned the win. He allowed one run on one hit and one walk, with two strikeouts in three innings.

“There were a lot of special moments tonight,” Silva said. “Jacob just gutting his way through and gave us what we had and Gavin coming out of the bullpen. Arturo his one, two, three inning was huge to bridge the gap before we got to Salt.

“It looked like it was going to get away from us, but our guys made enough plays and made enough pitches. The play in center field by Booker, the home run by Booker. This time of year, different guys have to step up. You saw that tonight.”

Peyton Havard (2-3), the last of five Lamar pitchers, suffered the loss. He allowed one run on two hits in one inning.

The teams meet again in the second game of the series scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday.