Box Score THIBODAUX – After two days of clean baseball allowed it to clinch a road series win, Northwestern State did not play the same way Sunday, and it cost the Demons.
 
Nicholls took advantage of four first-inning walks and a hit batter to grab an early six-run lead and cruised to a 13-5 win at Ben Meyer Diamond at Ray E. Didier Field to salvage one game of the Southland Conference series.
 
"The whole story of the day is we didn't compete to the correct standard on the mound and defensively," first-year head coach Chris Bertrand said. "There were a lot of self-inflicted wounds, and there were a lot of free bases and free baserunners early in the game that allowed them to create a lead and gain momentum. We were never able to grab it back and climb ourselves back in the ballgame."
 
The first three Colonels hitters drew walks before Garrett Felix' two-run single off Dylan Marionneaux (2-6) gave Nicholls (24-13, 7-5) an early lead. Drake Anderson added a two-run single – the first of his five hits and four RBIs on the day.
 
Down early, the Demons (13-23, 6-6) started to solve Nicholls left-hander Michael Quevedo (5-0) a bit in the third inning, peppering him for four hits, including consecutive RBI doubles from Reese Lipoma and Balin Valentine.
 
Lipoma's double extended his career-long hitting streak to 14 games while Valentine's run-scoring knock gave him nine RBIs in the three-game series.
 
Unfortunately for Northwestern State, Quevedo settled back in after hitting James Starnes with the bases loaded to force in a run in the fourth inning. By that point, the Colonels led 9-3 and extended the lead to nine with a three-run fourth inning.
 
That's when the Demon bullpen quieted things and gave its offense a chance to rally.
 
Right-handers Austin Anderson, Adam Alexis, John Shahrdar and Tyler Nichol allowed one run in the final four innings as the Demons began to threaten the Nicholls bullpen.
 
Once Quevedo exited the game after striking out the side in the fifth, Colin Rains welcomed right-hander Gavin Galy with a sharp single to center to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. Rocco Gump followed with a two-run home run – his fourth of the year and first since March 1 – to cut the lead to seven.
 
That would be as close as the Demons could get despite loading the bases in the seventh inning. NSU did not convert that inning, part of an offensive performance that saw it leave 11 runners on base.
 
"We all share in the responsibility and the accountability for what took place, but at the same time, we continue to be proud of the competitiveness and the fight," Bertrand said. "Our offense did a tremendous job in fighting through their way through at-bats and fighting their way to 10 hits, we left 11 runners on base. If you look at a situation in which there are a few less free bases and we cash in one or two of those moments, you may be looking at a totally different ballgame from an aesthetic standpoint. We just dug ourselves a hole early in the game that we never seemed to be able to recover from."
 
Samuel Stephenson and Hayden Knotts each had two hits for the Demons, whose 10 hits were their most in the three-game series.
 
The Demons return to action Tuesday when they host LSU-Alexandria. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Brown-Stroud Field.
 
Nicholls 13, Northwestern State 5
NSU     002 102 000 – 5 10 2
Nicholls            612 300 10x – 13 15 1
W – Michael Quevedo (5-0). L – Dylan Marionneaux (2-6). 2B – NSU, Reese Lipoma, Balin Valentine, Bo Willis. NICH, Parker Coddou, MaCrae Kendrick. HR – NSU, Rocco Gump (4). NICH, Cade Crosby (5). Highlights: NSU, Samuel Stephenson 2-4; Hayden Knotts 2-3. NICH, Edgar Alvarez 2-4, 3 RBIs; Garrett Felix 2-4, 2 RBIs; Crosby 2-4, HR, RBI; Drake Anderson 5-5, 4 RBIs.
Records: Northwestern State 13-23, 6-6; Nicholls 24-13, 7-5.