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June 1, 2024Trailing 9-1 after four innings, the Nicholls State University baseball team mounted a comeback against UC Irvine and took the lead with a ninth-inning three-run home run by Edgar Alvarez, but the Anteaters escaped with a 13-12 walk-off victory in the opening game of the Corvallis Regional Friday afternoon at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field.
With the loss, Nicholls (38-21) will play in Saturday’s elimination game at 3 p.m. central against No. 4 Tulane. The Green Wave fell 10-4 to top-seed Oregon State on Friday night.
In the ninth, the Colonels entered the final frame down 11-9 before leadoff walks made way for Alvarez’s go-ahead homer — a 424-foot bomb over the scoreboard in right center. His 13th long ball of the season not only moved him into second place all-time with 29 career home runs, but he also set the single-season program RBI record with 67.
But in the bottom half, UC Irvine (44-12) pieced together its own rally. With one down, a base hit was followed by a near-game-ending double play, then a walk put two runners on before an error at third loaded the bases. Facing a 1-1 pitch, Caden Kendel stroked a single to right center for two runs and the walk-off victory.
Nicholls totaled 14 hits with 11 fueling the comeback which started in the fifth. Alvarez, Gerardo Villarreal, Garrett Felix, Basiel Williams and Narvin Booker Jr. all finished with two hits each.
Felix gave Nicholls a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the first. But in the bottom half, Myles Smith and Kendel hit back-to-back homers off of Jacob Mayers for a 3-1 Anteater lead. Mayers left the game in the second with an injury but it wasn’t until the fourth that UC Irvine would blow the game open.
After UCI starter Nick Pinto struck out the side for the second time, the Anteater offense exploded for six hits for six runs in the fourth. The inning was highlighted by Smith’s second home run of the day as UC Irvine took a commanding 9-1 lead.
The Colonel offense responded in the fifth with four runs on four hits. Alvarez singled with the bases loaded before Villarreal drove in two to make it 9-4. Williams tacked on an RBI with a fielder’s choice and it would chase Pinto out of the game. Pinto finished with seven strikeouts and gave up five hits in 4.2 innings.
UC Irvine got a run back in the bottom half before Nicholls scored three in the seventh to make it 10-8. Drake Andersonand pinch-hitter Cade Crosby both had RBI singles while Booker Jr. added a run on a groundout. In the UCI seventh, the Anteaters took advantage by scoring on a sacrifice fly after Felix lost the ball in the sun in left field for a leadoff triple.
The Colonels had a chance to tie the game in the eighth when Williams doubled to right for an RBI, putting runners in scoring position with one out. However, UC Irvine got a strikeout and a groundout to leave the score at 11-9. But Nicholls got some momentum back when Villarreal turned a 5-3 double play after the Anteaters loaded the bags with one down.
Despite Alvarez’s heroics, Nicholls was unable to capture its first win in the NCAA Regional in the D1 era, falling to 0-9 all-time. The loss was the second-straight walk-off setback in the opener after the Colonels fell 4-3 at Alabama last season.
Devin Desandro suffered the loss with two unearned runs on three hits in 1.2 innings. Chase Richter (2.1 IP) and Gavin Galy (1.1 IP) had solid showings out of the bullpen as each allowed just a run.
For UC Irvine, Smith, Kendel and Chase Call all had three-hit days as the offense racked up 17 hits against six Colonel pitchers.