THE BASICS
Score (Game 1): Nicholls 15, Holy Cross 6 (5 innings)
Score (Game 2): Nicholls 9, Holy Cross 3
Records: Holy Cross (0-3), Nicholls (12-6)
Pitching Decision (Game 1): W: Jackie Johnson (4-4) | L: Gennifer Durham (0-2)
Pitching Decision (Game 2): W: Taylor Hastings (3-0) | L: Katy Watson (0-1)
Location: Colonel SB Complex (Thibodaux, La.)
The Lead:  The Holy Cross softball team was defeated in a pair of games versus Nicholls, 15-6, and 9-3, on Tuesday night at Colonel SB Complex. Holy Cross slips to 0-3 overall while the Colonels improve to 12-6. Freshman Savannah Young (Celebration, Fla.) hit her first collegiate inside-the-park homerun and went 2-2 in the first game and went 3-3 in the second game.

• Nicholls nabbed the early lead due to several Holy Cross errors that led a five-run bottom of the first inning for the Colonels.
• The Colonels got to the Crusaders for seven more runs in the second inning and three more in the third inning. Jackie Johnson was able to silence the Holy Cross bats for four shutout innings until the Crusaders broke out a six-run fifth inning.
• The fifth inning began as senior Emma Keough (Rochester, Mass.) was hit by a pitch and made her way down to first base. Young came in to pinch hit for senior co-captain Abigail Lang (Londonderry, N.H.) and hit her first collegiate inside-the-park homerun to put Holy Cross on the board.
• Junior co-captain Sarah Kane (Jacksonville, Fla.) singled up the middle as she drove in both freshman Mandy McCarthy (Pearl River, N.Y.) and senior co-captain Cassie Girvalo (Putnam Valley, N.Y.). Junior Emily Krisanda (Oak Hill, Va.) knocked a single up the middle, advancing Kane to third and sophomore Kylee Malouf (Simi Valley, Calif.) crossing home plate.
• Young singled in her second RBI of the game to drive in the sixth Holy Cross run, but the game concluded in five innings with Nicholls taking the 15-6 win in game one of the doubleheader.

• Nicholls starting pitcher Jackie Johnson earned the win (4-4) as she tossed 4.2 scoreless innings and allowed four hits while striking out seven. Nicholls relief pitcher Ashleigh Downing pitched .1 innings, allowing six runs on three hits.
• Crusader junior knuckleballer Gennifer Durham  took the loss (0-2) as she surrendered five runs on four hits through .1 innings. The Holy Cross bullpen of freshman Amanda Gonzalez (West Roxbury, Mass.) and sophomore Maggie Goldberg (Midlothian, Va.) pitched a combined 3.2 innings.
• Young went 2-2 with a single and inside-the-park homerun while Kane went 2-3.

• Both teams were deadlocked through two innings of play until Nicholls came through with the first four runs of the game in the third inning. Alexis Huss began the inning with a single into centerfield, allowing Kristen Ahearn to cross home plate. Jessica Taylor doubled to centerfield as several errors committed by the Crusaders lead to three Nicholls runs.
• At the end of three innings of play, Nicholls held the 6-0 lead.
• Holy Cross answered with a three-run top of the fourth that began on a single up the middle by Young, but got thrown out at second. Krisanda and junior Hailey Mullen (Plainville, Mass.) had back-to-back singles as junior Emily Jarvis (Hopkinton, Mass.) walked in a run as the Crusaders had runners on second and third base. Lang singled to first and drove both Krisanda and Mullen.  
• Holy Cross cut the lead in half at 6-3 with three innings remaining.
• Nicholls capitalized on several Holy Cross errors to tack on three more runs to increase the lead to 9-3 in the bottom of the sixth.
• The Crusaders went down in order in the top of the seventh inning to end the game as Nicholls came away with the 9-3 win in the second game of the doubleheader. Holy Cross fell to 0-3 as Nicholls improved to 12-6.

• Nicholls starter Taylor Hastings (3-0) pitched 7.0 innings and allowed three runs on eight hits as she whiffed two batters.
• Holy Cross freshman pitcher Katy Watson (Bexley, Ohio) took the loss (0-1) as she pitched 3.0 innings and allowed six runs on six hits while striking out one. The Crusader bullpen of senior Tori Cheske (Thomaston, Conn.) pitched 3.0 innings and allowed three runs on three hits and whiffed three batters.

• The Crusaders return to the diamond tomorrow, Mar. 4, in a doubleheader versus Southern. The first game is set to begin at 2:00 p.m. and the first pitch of the second game is slated for a 4:00 p.m. start.

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