THIBODAUX--  McNeese softball dropped the first game of its Southland Conference series at Nicholls Friday night by the score of 5-3.  McNeese falls to 20-10 overall and 4-3 in the SLC.  The series will conclude with a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday with both game streaming on ESPN+.  The Colonels improve to 17-12 overall and 5-2 in the SLC with the win, snapping a six game losing streak against McNeese.

McNeese picked up eight hits in the game while the Colonels picked up six.  Four of the Cowgirl hits were doubles, one each from Gwynn Hall, Maddie Taylor, Alexis Dibbley, and Nyjah Fontenot.  Nicholls had four extra base hits including homeruns from Liliana Robledo and Erin Krause.

The Cowgirls took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning on a RBI ground out by Taylor that scored Dibbley.  The Colonels tied the game with a run in the bottom half of the inning on Krause's solo homerun.

Nicholls took a 2-1 lead in the third on a Madison Moak RBI single then a 4-1 lead in the fourth off Robledo's solo homerun and a fielder's choice RBI by Gabby Higbee.
Taylor, who tossed six innings brought McNeese to within one run in the fifth on a two RBI double that scored pinch hitter Delaney Dunham and Dibbley to cut the Colonel lead to 4-3.

McNeese missed an opportunity to tie the game in the sixth inning but left pinche runner Rylee Eyster stranded on third.

Nicholls added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth to extend the lead to 5-3.

After a leadoff double by Fontenot to start the seventh inning, Nicholls' Molly Yoo gotthe next three Cowgirls out to end the game.

The Cowgirls stranded seven baserunners and were 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position. Nicholls stranded six and were 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

Taylor fell to 7-2 on the season with the loss while Yoo improved to 9-5 overall with the win.