THIBODAUX, La. (Interstat) — A second-inning offensive explosion propelled the Nicholls State Colonels to a decisive 12-2 victory over the Jackson State Tigers in non-conference baseball action Tuesday night at Ray E. Didier Field.

The most important part of the game arrived swiftly in the bottom of the second inning, erasing an early Jackson State lead and setting the tone for a lopsided contest. After Nico Rijo-Berger led off with a double, Greyson Shafer drove him in with an RBI double to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Colonels then loaded the bases with a hit batter and a sacrifice bunt followed by a walk. With two outs, second baseman Keegan Giger stepped in and delivered the crushing blow, launching a grand slam home run to deep right field. The four-run shot turned a one-run deficit into a 5-2 Nicholls State lead, a margin the Tigers would never threaten.

The Colonels’ offense did not relent, adding two runs in the third inning and five more in the fourth to put the game out of reach. Shafer was instrumental throughout, finishing the night three-for-four at the plate with a double and four RBIs. Rijo-Berger also had three hits and drove in two runs. Giger’s four RBIs on the grand slam led all players.

Nicholls State starter Will Mabry earned the win, working four innings and allowing two runs on four hits while striking out five. The Colonels’ bullpen, featuring Eli Waters and Cole Simoneaux, combined for three perfect innings of relief, retiring all nine batters they faced with four strikeouts.

Jackson State, which fell to 7-9 overall, managed only four hits as a team. Pierre Cabral had two of them, including an RBI single in the third inning that plated the Tigers’ first run. A groundout brought in their second and final run later in that frame. Starting pitcher Kevin De Los Santos took the loss, and the Tigers used four relievers — Darius Dampier, Manuel Toro, De Los Santos in a second appearance, and another pitcher — who struggled with command, issuing nine walks and hitting four batters.

The Colonels improved to 10-8 with the win, which exceeded the projection of Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 7-5 Nicholls State victory. The system’s ELO rating gave the Colonels a 71.4 percent probability to win.

Nicholls State looks to carry the momentum into a weekend series at home against Texas-Rio Grande Valley beginning Friday. Jackson State continues its road swing with a conference series at Texas Southern starting Friday.