Colonels rally back from eight-run deficit before eventually falling 13-12 to UC-Irvine

It went from an almost dream finish to nightmare ending.

By the fourth inning, Nicholls lost its starting pitcher due to injury, already had used four pitchers in the game, and was down 9-1.

In the top of the ninth inning trailing 11-9, first baseman Edgar Alvarez, the Southland Conference’s Player of the Year, belted a three-run home run to right field to put the Colonels on top 12-11.

All that remained was to get the final three outs Friday afternoon against Cal-Irvine in the opening game of the Corvallis Regional in Oregon

Nicholls pitcher Devin Desandro got Will Beermudez to fly out to left field for the first out of the inning.

Pinch-hitter Jacob Stinson followed with a base hit to right field. Jo Oyama hit into a fielder’s victory in NCAA Regional history.

Woody Hadeen walked to put runners on second and first. Myles Smith hit a grounder to third base that Nicholls’ Gerardo Villarreal was unable to handle, with the error loading the bases.

Caden Kendle singled to right field, scoring Hadeen and Oyama to hand the Colonels a 13-12 loss.

“A game like that, it’s crushing, but choice, forcing Stinson at second base and the Colonels were one out away from their first there’s a lot of pride too involved in that,” Nicholls coach Mike Silva said. “My kids, they could have packed up and said we’re on it tomorrow. They care so much and they really played for the team and the university. Our community really means a lot to them. They’re crushed.

“They feel like they let people down by not getting that win because of what it would have meant to so many people. That’s how selfless they are. They will pick each other up and be ready to go out and fight and compete again tomorrow.”

The loss sends Nicholls to the losers’ bracket, where the Colonels will take on No. 4 seed Tulane, which lost to top-seeded Oregon State 10-4 on Friday. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. CDT Saturday.

Neither team was able to follow the game plan for an opening game in a double-elimination tournament.

Nicholls (38-21) pounded out 14 hits and used six pitchers. UC-Irvine (44-12) had 17 hits and used four pitchers as each team taxed their bullpens in the opening game.

Desandro, the last of the six Colonel pitchers, suffered the loss. He allowed two runs, neither of which was earned, on three hits and two walks, with one strikeout in 1 2/3 innings.

No Nicholls pitcher tossed more than 2 1/3 innings. Jacob Mayers allowed three runs, Nico Saltaformaggio four, Jack Nelson two, while Chase Richter and Gavin Galy gave up one each.

“We had to. We need to win the game,” Silva said of using a number of pitchers. “We have some guys left tomorrow, though. We didn’t over-extend too many of them, which I thought was really good.

“Salt usually pitches his best the second day out. I think he will be sharper tomorrow. Galy, we didn’t extend him. Devin can go in a short spurt for an inning or two. I didn’t really over-extend anyone from a pitch count perspective. Obviously, adrenaline and energy the way the game was it can take a lot out of you. It’s high stress. I think we’re OK for tomorrow. If we get further in the tournament, it could show up.”

David Utagawa got the win. He worked the final two-thirds of an inning, striking out two while throwing nine pitches.

Nick Pinto worked the first 4 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and one walk, while striking out seven in throwing 102 pitches.

Ricky Ojeda allowed three runs and Ricky Tibbett four.

The game got off to a promising start for Nicholls with the Colonels scoring a run in the top of the first inning.

With one out, Alvarez walked. The walk continued Alvarez’s streak of reaching base in all 57 games this season for the Colonels.

Villarreal produced a bloop single to put two runners on base. Garrett Felix followed with a single to left field to give Nicholls a quick 1-0 lead.

All three outs in the inning for the Colonels came via Pinto strikeouts.

As quickly as Nicholls gained the lead, the Anteaters topped the Colonels in the bottom half of the inning.

Mayers, the sophomore starter for Nicholls, walked Hadeen to open the inning. Smith followed with a home run to right field that barely cleared the fence and outstretched arm of Basiel Williams, the Colonels right fielder.

Kendle sent the next offering from Mayers over the left field wall to give Cal-Irvine a 3-1 lead.

What seemed like an ideal start with a 1-0 lead quickly turned into a dire scenario for the Colonels when Nicholls had to unexpectedly go to the bullpen.

After getting an out to open the second inning, Mayers bent over after throwing a pitch. After a brief pause, Mayers attempted to throw a practice pitch. He left the mound, replaced by Saltaformaggio.

Saltaformaggio inherited a 2-0 count and walked Chase Call. A pair of infield hits loaded the bases with two outs. Saltaformaggio struck out Kendle swinging to end the threat.

Saltaformaggio and the Colonels were not so fortunate in the fourth inning.

Singles by Bermudez, Call, and Oyama to open the inning loaded the bases. A single by Hadeen through the right side drove in two runs, making it 5-1 before Saltaformaggio gave way to Nelson.

Smith greeted Nelson with a towering home run to right field, extending the Cal-Irvine lead to 8-1. The Anteaters were not done. Dub Gleed added a run-scoring single, chasing Nelson in favor of Richter. Richter induced a double play to finally bring the inning to an end.

After UC-Irvine scored six runs in the bottom of the fourth for its 9-1 lead, the Colonels rallied for four runs in the top of the fifth inning.

Singles by Norman Booker and Parker Coddou, along with Kaden Amundson being hit by a pitch by Pinto loaded the bases to open the fifth inning.

A run-scoring single by Alvarez, a two-run base hit by Villarreal, and a run-scoring fielder’s choice by Williams rallied the Colonels to within 9-4.

After Cal-Irvine extended its lead to five runs with a run in the fifth inning, the Colonels put serious scare in the Anteaters in the top of the seventh.

Nicholls scored three runs in the inning and forced the Anteaters to bring in Tibbett, their closer, earlier than usual.

A tiring Tibbett walked the first two batters in the top of ninth, setting up Alvarez’s three-run homer off of Utagawa.

“That’s the guy we want at the plate,” Silva said of Alvarez. “It played out like we were hoping at the end. We just couldn’t finish in the ninth.”