Pitching leads Nicholls past Southern, 5-1

Freshman Jackie Johnson pitched five innings of one-hit ball and set a new personal best with eight strikeouts as the Nicholls State University softball team defeated Southern University 5-1 in their home opener Wednesday night at the Colonel Softball Complex.
The win upped Nicholls’ record to 4-7 on the year, with three of the victories coming against Southern (0-8). The Lady Jaguars had only two hits in the loss, adding one more off Hannah Haydel, who pitched two innings of relief.
Johnson was stellar in her second career win, allowing just a single to center in the third. After striking out the side in the fourth, she added two more punch outs in her final inning.
In the first, Brittany Marcet smacked a single to center and the ball was misplayed, allowing Haley Parkerson to score from first.
Leading 1-0 in the third, Nicholls had two of its five hits on the night and took advantage of an error to plate four runs. Laura Neil started the scoring with a bases-loaded walk, and Camille Rozas, who was 2-for-3 on the day, drilled a single up the middle for another run. Haley Stevenson made the score 4-0 on an infield single to short, and Neil came around to score on a wild pitch.
Southern scored its only run in the sixth after an error and two walks by Haydel loaded the bases with one out. Alicia Barajas then scored on a passed ball, but Haydel buckled down, getting a strikeout and a grounder to end the inning.
In the seventh, pinch hitter Haly Guitreau recorded Southern’s other hit after a leadoff blooper to right just missed the glove of a sliding Colleen Levy. But Haydel would end the game on two grounders and a strikeout to give Nicholls its fourth win of the season.
The Colonels will hit the road this weekend once again, playing five games in the Houston Classic. The Colonels start play Friday with games against North Dakota State at 11:30 a.m. and host Houston at 4:30 p.m.