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Colonel softball wins home debut against Southern Miss

Senior Megan Landry tossed six shutout innings for the Nicholls State University softball team, and the offense pieced together enough runs to defeat Southern Miss 4-1 Wednesday evening at Swanner Field.
With the win, Nicholls improved to 4-2 and captured its fifth-straight victory against Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles came to Thibodaux with a 5-0 record.
Landry (3-1) scattered three hits and struck out four for the win, dropping her ERA to 1.17 on the season. Sophomore Alexis LaBure pitched the seventh, allowing a run on two hits while striking out two.
Kasey Frederick led the offense with two RBIs and was one of five Colonels to get a hit against Abby Trahan (2-1). Emma Holland, Caitlin Garcia, Melise Gossen, and Veronica Villafranco had the other hits for Nicholls.
Villafranco was 1-for-1 offensively, but her walk to lead off the third changed the game. She was down 0-2 before filling the count and fouled off a few pitches before earning the free pass. With pinch-runner Maegen Ellis on first, Morgan City High alum Kennedy Hebert put down a perfect sacrifice bunt and reached on a throwing error. Hebert then stole second, and the throw trickled into the outfield, allowing Ellis to score for a 1-0 lead.
Another error by Southern Miss kept the inning alive, and Frederick delivered a hard shot to left that bounced in front of the fielder for a run-scoring single to double the advantage.
Landry, a Central Catholic alum, was perfect through three innings before issuing a walk in the fourth. But the runner was disposed by Villafranco quickly behind the plate after trying to steal second.
In the bottom half, Villafranco put Nicholls up 3-0 on a two-out single through the left side. Again, the run was set up by a stolen base, this time from pinch-runner Bailey Hughes.
For the fifth, Sarah Van Schaik broke up Landry’s no-hitter with a leadoff double. Landry ended the threat with two fly outs and a popup in the infield. Holland gave Nicholls its final run, tripling with a gapper in right center. Frederick drove her home on a fly out to right.
The Golden Eagles started the sixth with two singles, but once again, Landry and the Colonel defense preserved the shutout. Rayner looked to have dropped a base hit in left field; however, Frederick made a diving catch for the first out. The next batter fouled out with a popup, and Landry ended the inning with a looking strikeout on a full count.
LaBure took over in the final inning, ending the game with a strikeout after Southern Miss broke up the shutout.
Heather Hill had two hits and drove in the run for Southern Miss. Trahan struck out six.

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