Friday, March 6
Charleston, SC
7:30 p.m.
Ball State University
4-9
0
vs
1
Sacred Heart
4-6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
Sacred Heart
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
2
1
Ball State
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
2
Nicolas Dominant vs. Sacred Heart
March 06, 2020 | Baseball
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Kyle Nicolas struck out 17 batters and allowed three baserunners in a dominant pitching performance Friday night. However, the Ball State baseball team was edged late in a 1-0 loss to Sacred Heart.
Nicolas, now with 37 strikeouts over 23 innings this season, called the outing the best start of his life. "My fastball command was on and (Chase) Sebby was awesome behind the plate. The breaking ball was there when I needed it to be."
The junior right-hander didn't allow a baserunner until an error and a walk in the 5th inning. He answered those two miscues by striking out the next six batters he saw. SHU managed to get a hit off Nicolas in the 7th, a single up the middle by Kyle Oliver. Nicolas got the final two batters he saw and finished the night after 110 pitches.
Nicolas's final line: 7 innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, no runs, 17 strikeouts.
Sacred Heart had two hits on the night and somehow managed to win. A one-out walk in the top of the 9th ended up being the winning run, which was scored by pinch runner CJ LaFragola. Sam Mongelli drove in the winning run with a single through the left side.
SO MANY STRIKEOUTS
Nicolas struck out the side in three different innings and had eight punchouts after three innings. The school record for strikeouts is 19, set in 1941. Drey Jameson struck out 16 in a game last spring. Nicolas's previous career best for strikeouts in a game was 11, set last spring against Bowling Green. He had that after 4.2 innings against Sacred Heart.
BEST CHANCES TO SCORE
The Cardinals loaded the bases in the bottom of the 4th on a walk by Chase Sebby, a single by Noah Navarro and a walk by Zach Cole. Sacred Heart made an out at home on a fielder's choice and got the third on a flyout to escape the threat. Ryan Peltier walked and reached 3rd base in the bottom of the 9th before the Cardinals ran out of outs.
UP NEXT
BSU (4-9) will play Richmond Saturday at 4 p.m. and close the spring break trip Sunday vs. Longwood.
Nicolas, now with 37 strikeouts over 23 innings this season, called the outing the best start of his life. "My fastball command was on and (Chase) Sebby was awesome behind the plate. The breaking ball was there when I needed it to be."
The junior right-hander didn't allow a baserunner until an error and a walk in the 5th inning. He answered those two miscues by striking out the next six batters he saw. SHU managed to get a hit off Nicolas in the 7th, a single up the middle by Kyle Oliver. Nicolas got the final two batters he saw and finished the night after 110 pitches.
Nicolas's final line: 7 innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, no runs, 17 strikeouts.
Sacred Heart had two hits on the night and somehow managed to win. A one-out walk in the top of the 9th ended up being the winning run, which was scored by pinch runner CJ LaFragola. Sam Mongelli drove in the winning run with a single through the left side.
SO MANY STRIKEOUTS
Nicolas struck out the side in three different innings and had eight punchouts after three innings. The school record for strikeouts is 19, set in 1941. Drey Jameson struck out 16 in a game last spring. Nicolas's previous career best for strikeouts in a game was 11, set last spring against Bowling Green. He had that after 4.2 innings against Sacred Heart.
BEST CHANCES TO SCORE
The Cardinals loaded the bases in the bottom of the 4th on a walk by Chase Sebby, a single by Noah Navarro and a walk by Zach Cole. Sacred Heart made an out at home on a fielder's choice and got the third on a flyout to escape the threat. Ryan Peltier walked and reached 3rd base in the bottom of the 9th before the Cardinals ran out of outs.
UP NEXT
BSU (4-9) will play Richmond Saturday at 4 p.m. and close the spring break trip Sunday vs. Longwood.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: AUFIERO, M (2-0)
L: Jaksich, Lukas (0-1)
Batting:
RBI: MONGELLI, S 1
Base Running:
RUNS: LAFRAGOLA,C 1
SB: LAFRAGOLA,C 1 ; DAUBON, I 1
Batting:
SH: Conant, Justin 1 ; Navarro, Noah 1 ; Christianson, Adam 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
ss/3b
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF/RHP
/ BaseballIF
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RHP
/ Baseball
SS
/ Baseball
C
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