Extra-inning loss to Lamar cost Nicholls baseball team shot at first place in SLC

A six-run first inning, a 7-4 lead with only five outs to go, and the bases loaded in the eighth and ninth innings.

It all had the hallmark of a Nicholls baseball team looking to move into first place in the Southland Conference.

Nicholls won the opener of its three-game home series against league-leading Lamar to pull to within one game of the lead in the Southland. A win over the Cardinals on Saturday on Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray Didier Field would have allowed the Colonels to tie for first place in the SLC.

The Cardinals had other ideas. After falling behind 6-1, Lamar chipped away at the Nicholls lead with a three-run home run in the top of the ninth tying the score 7-7 and forcing extra innings.

Then came the top of the 10th inning.

Heladio Moreno opened the inning by grounding out to Nicholls first baseman Edgar Alvarez. Nicholls reliever Arturo Rodriquez then hit Austin Roccaforte with a pitch.

Jack Schell followed with a home run to right field to put the Cardinals on top 9-7.

“At the end of the day, it all comes down to our pitchers keeping us in the game, guys making big-time pitches, guys at the plate making big-time ABs, just giving us the opportunity to win the game. Everything goes to them. I love my teammates. That was a team win,” Schell said.

In the bottom half of the 10th inning, Narvin Booker Jr. led off with a single to right center field. Jaden Collura then grounded into a double play.

Austin Neal struck out Parker Coddou to end the game with a 9-7 loss for the Colonels.

“We had the lead late. They had the three-run homer. We had the bases loaded in the eighth and the ninth and just didn’t get it done. That’s just part of it. These are the top two teams in the league, high-level playoff atmosphere type games. We’ve just got to bounce back and turn the page,” Nicholls coach Mike Silva said.

After suffering the loss, the Colonels need a win in Sunday’s game slated for 1 p.m. to stay within a game of Lamar. A loss to the Cardinals and Nicholls will fall behind Lamar by three games with three games remaining in the SLC season.

Nicholls is now 13-7 in the Southland and 31-19 overall. Lamar is 15-5 in the conference and 38-11 overall.

Sunday’s game sets up as another in which has been a series of games with playoff-type urgency for both teams as the first two encounters went to extra innings.

“They are not second in the league for no reason. They’re a really good team. They have a lot of good players. We knew it would be dog fights. It just feels good to come out with this one. It definitely could have gone either way, but I glad it was us,” said Schell.

Coddou opened the game in a much different fashion in which he ended it.

The Colonels’ leadoff batter hit a home run to left center field in the bottom of the first inning to ignite Nicholls to a six-run inning for Nicholls. Nicholls sent 10 batters to the plate in its big inning.

Coddou’s home run actually didn’t give the Colonels the lead. Lamar scored in the top of the first inning. Kanin Dodge led off the game with a double to left center and advanced to third on a fly out by Brayden Evans before scoring on a River Orsak sacrifice fly.

After Coddou’s home run, the Colonels just kept on hitting against Lamar starter Jacob Ellis.

Alvarez followed Coddou’s homer with a double to left center field. After MaCrae Kendrick walked, Garrett Felix popped out to shortstop. A double by Basiel Williams past second base scored Alvarez to give Nicholls a 2-0 lead.

A walk issued to Drake Anderson loaded the bases. Erick Ordonez’s single to right center drove in two runs to make it 4-1.

Booker, the fleet outfielder, beat out an infield hit on a ball hit to shortstop, extending the Nicholls lead to 5-1.

A sacrifice fly to right field by catcher Kaden Amundson, the ninth batter of the inning, gave the Colonels a 6-1 lead after one inning of play.

Lamar rallied for two runs in the top of the third inning.

Dodge started things off with a one-out walk and advanced to second on an Evans ground out. A double down the right field line by Orsak drove in Dodge.

Zak Skinner hit a fly ball to center field. Booker, the Nicholls center fielder, ran to his left and made a diving catch in which his entire body was off the ground but was unable to make the catch as the Cardinals pulled to within 6-3.

Nicholls got one of the runs back in the bottom half of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Ordonez. Williams led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a base hit by Anderson before scoring Ordonez’s sacrifice.

It was the only run Nicholls added to its early lead.

“The same story. It’s the kind of team we are. We didn’t make enough defensive plays, either. Before the three-run homer, there’s two plays we should have made, and we didn’t. If you don’t make plays against really good teams, it cost you,” Silva said.

The Cardinals chipped away with a run in the top of the fourth inning.

With two outs and runners on third and first, Devin Desandro entered the game in relief of Nicholls starter Jack Nelson. Dodge greeted Desandro with a single up the middle to score Tanner Wilson to make it 7-4.

Desandro had given Nicholls some quality innings out of the bullpen. After allowing an inherited runner to score, he allowed no runs on one hit, with two strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings before the Cardinals did their damage in the eighth inning.

The inning started when River Orsak reached base on a bang-bang play at first base.

Orsak hit a ball deep to the base side of Nicholls third baseman Erick Ordonez. Forced to make a quick throw, his toss to Alvarez caused the Colonels first baseman to have to leap off the first base bag. Alvarez made a swiping attempt to tag Orsak.

Orsak was called safe on the play. After a review, the call was upheld, and Ordonez was charged with an error.

Skinner followed with a single back to Desandro.

Following a strikeout, pinch hitter Logan Hamm belted a home run to right field to tie the game.

Nicholls loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth with two outs, but Coddou struck out to end the inning.

The Colonels used three different pitchers to three batters in the ninth inning. Nicholls intentionally walked Skinner with the bases loaded and one out. The Colonels turned a double play to get out of the inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, Alvarez hit a soft chopper off the end of his bat. Because of the slow roller, the Lamar third baseman had no chance to throw out Alvarez at first base. With two outs, Williams was intentionally walked. Drake Anderson drew a walk to load the bases, but Cade Crosby struck out and the game went to extra innings.

Rodriquez (2-3), the last of five Nicholls pitchers, took the loss. He allowed two runs on one hit and one walk in two innings.

Austin Neal (3-1), the last of four Lamar pitchers, picked up the win. He allowed two hits and two walks, with three strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings.