DUDLEY, Mass. (4/23/2024) – Senior Brennan Hyde broke the all-time career home run record with his blast in the second inning, as the Nichols College baseball team edged out Trinity College in a 13-12 nail-bitter on Tuesday afternoon from Nichols Baseball Field.

Hyde finished the day going 2-4 with 4 RBI and a run scored. Junior William Nath went 3-5 with two doubles and 2 RBI to lead the Bison in hits. Sophomore Liam Flynn also chipped in with two doubles. Six Nichol batters tallied at least one RBI as well in the win.

Hyde became the program's all-time leader in home runs, when he launched his 22^nd home run of his career over the centerfield fence this afternoon. Hyde passes Tom Kirby, who hit 21 home runs in 1984-1987 for the Bison baseball program.

Trinity opened the scoring in top of the first inning, to grab a 1-0 lead. Nichols pulled even when senior Ben Jerome scored on a pass ball. The Bantams added four more runs in the top of the second inning, to regain their lead.

Nichols jumped in front of Trinity, with a crooked number in the bottom half of the inning. Flynn doubled to open the inning and Nath singled to put runners on the corners, with no outs. Graduate student Jim Marasco then hit a sac-fly to score Flynn from third. Sophomore Dylan Moran walked, before Jerome double down the left field line, and scored Nath. Nichols trailed 5-3. Senior Johnny Knox then singled after a pitching change, scoring Moran from third. Hyde then blasted his sixth home run of the season and cleared the bases for a 7-5 Nichols lead.

The Nichols lead did not last long, as Trinity scored two runs in the top of the fourth to even the score at 7-7. In the fifth inning, it was Trinity again grabbing the lead back with one run in the inning.

 In the bottom of the fifth, senior Andrew Croteau singled and then a double from Flynn, put two runners in scoring position. Nath doubled to right field and scored Croteau and Flynn, as the Bison grabbed the lead back, 9-8. Back-to-back errors on the Bantams, loaded the bases. Walks from Jerome and Hyde, plated two more runs and Nichols held an 11-8 lead.

A single in the sixth, pulled Trinity within two runs. Trinity scored two more runs in the seventh inning, to even the score again. Jerome scored in the bottom of the seventh on a ball four wild pitch on Knox. Hyde singled on a hit and run, and then Knox scored on a sac-fly off the bat of graduate student Will Kleinhenz. Nichols led 13-11.

Trinity earned one more run in the eighth, but junior Clark Churchill closed the door with a one-two-three inning in the top of the ninth to end the game and secure the Bison win.

Sophomore Aidan Whitten earned the start for Nichols, but only threw 2.0 innings, allowing five runs on three hits. Junior Sean Ryan (2-0) earned his second win of the season, throwing 4.0 innings, while allowing six runs and striking out three. Churchill earned his first save of the game, with 3.0 innings of work, striking out four batters and allowing one run.

Nichols (21-8, 6-5 CCC) will continue their home stand tomorrow, April 24, as they face off against the United States Coast Guard Academy. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.