SHERMAN, Texas (3/11/2024) - Graduate student Will Kleinhenz homered twice to help power the Nichols College baseball team past Austin College (TX) to a 16-7 win on Monday afternoon from Baker Field. The Bison kicked off their spring break trip off with a win.
Junior Will Nath and sophomores Noah Sanabia and Dylan Moran all chipped in with multiple hits in the spring break opener in Austin, Texas.
Graduate student Patrick Sawyer got the start for the Bison but was quickly taxed with an earned run in the first inning after an RBI double from the Kangaroos. The lead didn't last long as to lead off the top of the second inning Kleinhenz launched his first homerun of the day knotting things up in the first at 1-1. The Bison continued to apply pressure in the second loading the bases for senior Johnny Knox with two outs. Knox then walked to give the Bison a 2-1 lead.
In the third it was a similar situation for Nichols. Moran and junior Taj Vera Cruz both walked in runs to extend the Bison lead to 4-1.
In the fourth, the Kangaroos answered with a hit by pitch and a double bringing in four runs to give Austin a 5-4 lead.
History would repeat itself in the fifth as the Bison wasted no time getting the lead back with a Sanabia double, Moran single, and Hyde single getting Nichols back in front 8-5.
That lead only grew for the Bison in the seventh after a sacrifice fly from graduate student Jim Marasco followed by Kleinhenz's second homer of the day, bringing the Bison lead to 12-5.
While the Kangaroo's added a run in the seventh and ninth, it wouldn't matter as the Bison bats were too much leading Nichols to a 16-7 win and bringing their season record to an even 3-3.
Sawyer picked up his first win of the year (1-0), while behind him it was junior Clark Churchill and freshmen Houston Wills, Jaden Mwangi combining for three innings and two runs. Wills struck out the side in his lone inning in the eighth.
The Bison continue their Texas Spring Break trip further south taking on Whittier College (Ca.) down in Georgetown, TX. That game begins at 6:00 (CT) on Tuesday, March 12.