Softball Falls Twice to Nichols

BOSTON, Mass. – Senior Chelsea Correia (Seekonk, Mass.) went a combined 4-for-6 with a home run and two RBI and in the process became the Nichols softball program's all-time home run leader, while freshman Caitlyn O'Laughlin (Waterford, Conn.) combined to go 4-for-7 with six RBI as the Bison swept Wentworth, 6-3 and 20-3.

Wentworth plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning of game one to take a 2-0 lead as freshman Sam Curran (Quincy, Mass.) and sophomore Haylee Bacik (Lowell, Mass.) each had RBI singles. The game remained 2-0 until the fourth inning when the Bison scored three times, with two coming on an O'Laughlin double and the third coming on an RBI single off the bat of freshman Avery Orszulak (Springfield, Mass.).

The Leopards tied the game in the home half of the inning on an RBI single from senior Randi Swihart (Gardner, Mass.), however, a five-run top of the fifth inning for the Bison gave them the lead for good. Correia belted her program-record 14^th home run – a two-run shot – while O'Laughlin had a two-run triple and would score on a wild pitch. An inning later Nichols rounded out the scoring when sophomore Amanda Broughton (Plymouth, Mass.) had an RBI single.

Correia was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and two RBI while O'Laughlin went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBI. Broughton also had a pair of hits in the win. Sophomore Rebecca Waszczuk (Chester, N.H.) picked up the win (2-1) as she allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and struck out five.

Bacik had a pair of hits for the Leopards, while freshman Sam Burgner (Dalton, Mass.) took the loss (5-9) as she allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits and struck out four.

After the first two innings yielded no scoring in the nightcap, Nichols jumped out to a 6-0 lead, thanks in part to a two-run single from sophomore Emalee Watkins (Malden, Mass.), and RBI double from senior Savannah Thibault (Marlborough, Mass.), and an RBI ground out from O'Laughlin.

The Leopards cut the lead to 6-2 in the home half of the third on an RBI triple from freshman Isabella Grassetti (Monson, Mass.) and a freshman Liz Glavin (Ipswich, Mass.) groundout, but the Bison would take advantage of six Wentworth errors in the fourth, scoring eight times to break the game open at 14-2.

Wentworth got a run back in the fourth on a senior Samantha Altieri (Lakeville, Mass.) groundout, but Nichols would score six more times in the fifth inning to round out the scoring.

Thibault, Watkins, Correia, and O'Laughlin each had two hits, with senior Lauren Correia (Seekonk, Mass.), Thibault, Watkins, and O'Loughlin driving in a pair of runs each. Senor Molly Ferraro (Millis, Mass.) improves to 4-6 as she allowed three runs on four hits and struck out five in five innings.

Sophomore Kelly Budzik (Fort Plain, N.Y.) fell to 3-4, slowing four runs on five hits in two-plus innings. Grassetti pitched the final three innings.

Nichols improves to 7-11 overall and 2-6 in Commonwealth Coast Conference play. The Bison host Western New England on Wednesday. Wentworth falls to 8-13 (1-7) and is at Curry on Wednesday.