DUDLEY, Mass. (3/22/24) – The Nichols College baseball team saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end as they dropped a pair of Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) games to the Suffolk University Rams on Friday afternoon from Nichols College Baseball Field. Nichols dropped game one 7-4, before falling 7-5 in game two.

Graduate Student Will Kleinhenz joined the 100-hit club with a single in the bottom of the eighth inning of game one. Senior Johnny Knox finished the day 3-6 with a three-run home run to lead the Bison in hits, while adding four stolen bases including stealing home. Graduate Student Jim Marasco, and seniors Ben Jerome and Andrew Croteau all tallied multi-hit games as well.

Game 1: Suffolk 7 Nichols 4

The Rams opened the scoring in the first inning on a single to center that scored the opening run on two first inning errors from the Bison defense. Nichols responded with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning. After a Knox walk, and he stole second base. He was moved to over to third before scoring on a sac fly off the bat of Marasco.

Suffolk grabbed two more runs in the top of the fifth on an error to make it 3-1. In the top of the seventh inning, Suffolk added two more runs, making it 5-1. Another error in the inning, made the runs possible for the Rams. Senior Brennan Hyde, plated Jerome on a sac fly in the bottom of the seventh, cutting into the lead, 5-2.

Nichols did not go away and in the bottom of the eighth inning, they pulled themselves within one run. Back-to-back singles for the Bison jump started the offense. After advancing on a pass ball, junior William Nath grounded out to first base, but score Kleinhenz in the process. Jerome then singled and scored Croteau.

Suffolk put the game out of reach in the top of the ninth inning with a two out single, that score two Rams for a 7-4 lead and the eventual win.

Graduate Student Patrick Sawyer (1-2) was tabbed with the loss, after throwing 127 pitches and 8.0 innings of action. Sawyer struck out eight batters and allowed seven runs, four earned in the loss. Junior Sean Ryan struck out three batters in relief for the Bison.

Game 2: Suffolk 7 Nichols 5 (7 innings)

Nichols opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Knox opened the game, laying down a bunt that he beat out for an infield single. He then stole second and was pushed over to third on a ground out by Hyde. Knox then delayed stole home and scored to give Nichols a 1-0 lead.

The Bison doubled their lead in the bottom of the second inning. Junior Karl Miller reached first on a dropped ball by the short stop, Miller then stole second base. Sophomore Lima Flynn singled to left field and scored Miller in the process for a 2-0 Bison lead.

Suffolk exploded for seven runs in the fourth inning to grab a commanding 7-2 lead over the Bison. Nichols struggled to climb back into the game until the bottom of the seventh inning. Flynn walked to start the inning and Nath then singled to put two runners on base with the top of the line up due up.

Knox launched his third home run of the season over the left field fence to pull Nichols within two runs, trialing 7-5. The Bison failed to gain any more ground in the game and dropped the second game, 7-5.

Junior Clark Churchill (3-1) was credited with his first loss of the season. He finished with 3.2 innings pitched, allowed six runs, with none of them being earned, and three strikeouts. Classmate Nolan Sullivan and Jack Steed both also threw. Steed finished the game with 3.1 innings pitched. He allowed one run and struck out two batters.

Nichols (9-5, 0-2 CCC) will hit the road for a Tuesday afternoon game against the University of Hartford. First pitch from West Hartford, C.T. is set for 3 p.m.