Baseball Drops Two Games at Nichols

DUDLEY, Mass. – Sophomore Greg Eng's (Middletown, Conn.) sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth inning snapped a 7-all tie and lifted the Nichols College baseball team to an 8-7 win in the nightcap of a Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader against Wentworth Institute of Technology. The Bison picked up the sweep after having won 8-2 in the opener.

With the two wins the Bison improve to 11-9 overall and 3-1 in league play while the Leopards fall to 6-13 (1-3).

GAME ONE:  Nichols 8, Wentworth 2
Senior Benjamin Harrow (North Reading, Mass.) got the Bison on the board as he hit a two-run double in the bottom of the first, which scored sophomores Ross Caswell (Randolph, Vt.) and Cam Cook (Phoenixville, Pa.). Harrow hit his second two-run double two innings later and plated Caswell and junior Matt Hardy (North Attleboro, Mass.).

Nichols scored two more times in the third to take a 6-0 lead thanks to an RBI single from Eng, who would come around to score on an error after stealing second and advancing to third on an error.

The top of the sixth saw Wentworth score a pair of runs to make it 6-2. Junior Christian Ferri (Bloomfield, N.J.) led off with a walk and went to second on a sophomore Tyler Weninger (Chandler, Ariz.) single. Junior Jordan Burst (Jackson, N.J.) walked to load the bases and Ferri scored when senior Johnny Ryan (Brandt Rock, Mass.) reached on an error. With two outs, sophomore Tim Elrick (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) singled to left which scored Weninger.

Nichols scored two runs in the bottom of the inning as freshman Joe Assenza (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) had a bunt single which scored Eng and sophomore Brendan Martin (Nashua, N.H.) scored after Cook reached on a fielder's choice.

Sophomore StigErik McElhinney (Dracut, Mass.) picked up the win (3-1) as he allowed two unearned runs on four hits and struck out a pair in six innings. Harrow was 2-for-3 with four RBI.

Junior Aaron Denis (Dover, N.H.) took the loss (2-3) for Wentworth as he allowed eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits and struck out a pair in a complete-game effort. Elrick had a pair of hits to pace the offense.

GAME TWO:  Nichols 8, Wentworth 7
The Leopards took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, thanks to a sacrifice fly from Burst, which scored Ferri. Ferri led off with a single, went to second on an infield single from senior Sam McManus (Hopkinton, N.H.) and advanced to third when Weninger walked. The lead would be short-lived, however as the hosts scored four times in the bottom of the inning with three coming after an error which would have ended the inning. Cook hit a one-out double and scored on a single from Caswell. Sophomore Nick Roy (Middletown, Conn.) reached on an error which moved Caswell to third. Harrow followed with an RBI double and a two-run single from sophomore Spencer Madden (Nashua, N.H.) made it 4-1.

In the top of the second, Wentworth got a pair of runs back. Junior Jimmy Temte (Northborough, Mass.) led off with a single, but was erased when Elrick reached on a fielder's choice. Elrick went to second on a sophomore Bryon Kucharski (East Haven, Conn.) single and scored on a Ferri double. Kucharski, who went to third on the double, scored on a single from McManus to make it 4-3.

Cook reached on a two-out error in the bottom of the second and after stealing second, scored on a Hardy single to give Nichols a 5-3 lead. An inning later Madden hit a solo home run to center to make it 6-3.

Wentworth took a 7-6 lead in the top of the fourth inning as Kucharski led off with a single and went to second when freshman Matt Smith (Horseheads, N.Y.) walked. Ferri walked to load the bases and McManus drove in Kucharsi with a walk. Weninger hit a two-run single which also allowed McManus to move to third on an error and he scored when Burst reached on a fielder's choice.

Nichols threatened in the fifth as the Bison started the inning with back-to-back singles. Senior Corey Jerolmon (New Milford, Conn.) came on in relief of freshman starter Mike Callagee and stranded two baserunners, including helping his own cause assisting on two groundouts.

Hardy led off the sixth inning by reaching on an error and went to second on a groundout. He would tie the game after Roy doubled him home and Roy would go to third on a Harrow double. After an intentional walk to put runners at the corners with one out, Eng lifted a fly ball to venter which scored Roy with the go-ahead run.

Wentworth had the tying run on base in the seventh as Elrick led off with a single up the middle. With one out he went to second on a Smith bunt, but a fly out would end the game.

Freshman Tyler Crane (East Amherst, N.Y.) picked up the win (1-1) after pitching a third of an inning in relief. Sophomore Kevin Kirley (Clinton, Mass.) notched his seventh save after pitching the seventh inning. Madden was 3-for-3 with three RBI while Roy and Harrow and two hits each.

Jerolmon was tagged with the loss (1-2) after allowing a pair of unearned runs on two hits in two innings. Callagee pitched four-plus innings, allowing six runs (two earned). McManus was 2-for-3 with two RBI while Ferri and Kucharski each had two hits.

Wentworth is at Becker on Tuesday afternoon.