Nichols Takes Two From Softball

BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Emalee Watkins (Malden, Mass.) had four hits, scored three times, and drove in four runs to help pace the Nichols College softball team to a Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader sweep of Wentworth. The Bison took the first game by an 11-3 score in five innings and won the second contest, 8-2.

With the sweep Nichols improves to 9-13 overall and 4-6 in CCC play while the Leopards fall to 6-24 (0-14).

Nichols scored its first run in the top of the first inning when Watkins led off with a single and went to third on an errant throw into the infield. The following batter she would score on a wild pitch. In the home half of the inning Wentworth evened the score when sophomore Karsyn Sawyer (Chatham, N.Y.) led off with a triple and scored on an RBI single from senior Haylee Bacik (Lowell, Mass.).

The Bison plated a single run in the top of the second when junior Rachel Dalrymple (Belvidere, N.J.) drew a leadoff walk, stole second, stole third, and scored on a wild pitch. An inning later Nichols broke the game open with a six-run third as Dalrymple had an RBI single, sophomore Alexa Polverari (Branford, Conn.) drove in a run when she reached on an error, freshman Jade Palladino (Lynnfield, Mass.) and sophomore Victoria Utter (Stafford Springs, Conn.) each had an RBI singles, and Watkins had a two-run double.

Nichols upped its lead to 10-1 with a pair of runs in the fourth as Palladino and Watkins each had RBI singles and scored a single run an inning later when junior Patricia Stacy (Pembroke, Mass.) drove in a run on a fielder's choice, which scored junior Avery Orszulak (Springfield, Mass.) who had led off the inning with a double.

Wentworth scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth as Sawyer had a two-out single, which was followed by back-to-back triples from juniors Sam Curran (Quincy, Mass.) and Liz Glavin (Ipswich, Mass.).

Sophomore Haley Fountain (Warren, Mass.) picked up the win (6-9) as she allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out nine batters. Watkins was 3-for-3 with three RBI, while Orszulak, Dalrymple, and Palladino had two hits apiece.

Freshman Maya Bloom (Hopkinton, N.H.) took the loss (2-6) as she allowed 11 runs (seven earned) on 12 hits. Sawyer was 3-for-3 with two runs scored.

Game two saw the Bison take a 3-0 lead in the first inning as Dalrymple scored on a wild pitch, junior Janine Coleman (Roslindale, Mass.) drove in a run with a groundout, and freshman Christina Drake (Lebanon, N.H.) scored on a wild pitch.

The Leopards made it a 3-1 game in the second when Bacik drew a leadoff walk and eventually came around to score an unearned run when junior Anne Harris (Germantown, Md.) reached on an error.

Nichols scored three in the top of the fourth, thanks in part to a pair of Wentworth errors. Orszulak drove in a run with a sacrifice fly which was dropped while Drake and Coleman each had RBI groundouts. The Bison would then score one in the fifth when Watkins drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

Wentworth took advantage of an error in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 7-2 game when Glavin reached on an error that would score freshman Kendall Kelly (New Lebanon, N.Y.). A freshman Monica Pucko (Gardner, Mass.) RBI single in the top of the seventh rounded out the scoring.

Freshman Meghan Sears (Tewksbury, Mass.) picked up the win (3-4) as she allowed one unearned run on two hits and struck out three. Junior Taylor Ferrazzi (Ashland, Mass.) picked up the save, allowing an unearned run on four hits in the final three innings. Eight different players recorded hits for the Bison while Coleman drove in a pair of runs.

Bacik took the loss (3-12), allowing six runs (four earned) on five hits in four innings while Curran pitched the final three innings, allowing two runs on three hits. Sawyer, who had five hits on the day, was 2-for-4.

Both teams are in action tomorrow as Nichols hosts Roger Williams and Wentworth travels to Western New England.