THIBODAUX – Mason Melotakis struckout a career-high 14 batters – one shy of the Northwestern State single-game record, but a one-out, bottom-of-the-ninth single to right field by Austin Flores scored the game-winning run for Nicholls State as the Colonels beat the Demons 4-3 in the opening game of a Southland Conference baseball series Friday night.
 
The loss dropped the Demons to 17-29 overall and 12-16 in conference play while Nicholls evened its overall mark to 24-24 and went to 11-16 in the league.
 
The series will continue with a 2 o'clock start on Saturday with Colin Bear expected to take the mound for the Demons.
 
Nicholls led 3-0 in the fourth inning after a two-run home run by right fielder Michael LeGrange despite the Demons outhitting the Colonels by a 5-2 margin at the time.  NSU finished the game with 13 hits and left nine runners stranded while the Colonels collected six hits.
 
The Demons tied things up in the top of the eighth inning when shortstop Mitch Huckabay led the frame off with a single, went to second on a one out single by left fielder Will Watson and to third when Bear walked to load the bases.
 
Designagted hitter Matt Baca, who finished the game with three hits, slid his third hit of the game through the right side to score Huckabay and put the Demons on the board while cutting the lead to 3-1.
 
After Nicholls lifted starting pitcher Seth Webster for reliever Brad Delatte, Ryan Westbrook, who was pinch-hitting for Nick Purdy, struckout swining for the secon out in the stanza but Nick Hinojos followed with a single down the right field line to score two runs and tie the game at 3-3.
 
Demon reliever Joe Scanio, who tied the school's single-season record with his 28^th appearance,  took the loss  and dropped his record to 4-3 on the season after he gave up one run on three hits in an inning of work.  He struck out two batters to give the Demon pitching staff 16 for the game – fourth most in a single-game in school history.
 
The Colonel ninth inning started with Blake Bergeron getting hit-by-a-pitch and then stole second.  LeGrange hit an infield single that moved Bergeron over to third and Flores hit a 1-1 pitch to right field to score the winning run.
 
Jordan McCoy (1-4), the third of three pitchers for Nicholls, notched his first win of the season after he pitched a scoreless ninth and gave up two hits with a strikeout.  Webster threw 7.1 innings and gave up three runs on 10 hits with two walks and three strikeouts before he was lifted in the eighth inning for Delatte.
 
Watson joined Baca with three hits for the Demons while Drew Helenihi, Hinojos and Huckabay each added two hits.
 
LeGrange led the Colonels with two hits.