FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Nichols College baseball team split a non-conference regional doubleheader with Southern Vermont as the Bison took game one 3-2 and the Mountaineers emerged with a 7-4 victory in 10 innings on Sunday at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic. With the results, Nichols moves to 1-3 on the season and Southern Vermont now sports a 2-1 ledger on the year.
With the bases loaded and one out, junior Shayne McNally (Auburn, Mass.) drove in the first run of the day with a sacrifice fly to center field. Southern Vermont sophomore Chris Nicastro (Cranford, N.J.) leveled the game at 1-1 as he lifted a sacrifice fly to center in the second stanza.
Rookie Joseph Nicolace (Cranston, R.I) helped snap the 1-all tie in the fifth inning as he drove in senior Chris Bruno (Darien, Conn.) with a shot to the gap in left center. Senior Bryan Gill (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) also crossed home plate on the play as he made it around the diamond from first and beat the throw home.
The Mountaineers rallied in the bottom of the seventh to plate a run as freshman Adam Michaud (East Hampton, Conn.) drew a bases loaded walk with two outs. A fly-out to centerfield left the bases juiced as the Bison claimed the 3-2 victory.
Defensively, each side turned a pair of double plays and caught a base runner stealing second.
Gill reached base three times courtesy of a trio of free passes while five different Bison recorded a hit.
First-year Brady Boisvert (Plainfield, N.H.) collected his first collegiate victory as he allowed two runs on six hits in six and two-thirds innings with four strikeouts. Senior Cody Jankins (West Brookfield, Mass.) picked up the save as he completed the final third of an inning for the Bison.
Freshman Erik Johansen (Rosendale, N.Y.) was tagged with the setback as he surrendered three runs on three hits in four and a third innings to go along with three strikeouts. Senior Corey Armstrong (Bennington, Vt.) gave up a hit in a scoreless two and a third for the Mountaineers.
As they had in the first game of the day, Nichols took an early 1-0 lead. Gill, senior John Micciche (Holbrook, Mass.) and Jankins strung together a trio of base hits that resulted in Gill touching home plate for the Bison. Southern Vermont evened the contest as Armstrong dropped a single down the left field line for an RBI in the second. The Bison escaped the inning when Bruno made a leaping stab on a line drive.
The Bison kept the Mountaineers at bay as junior Nick Shaw (Plymouth, Mass.) made a pair of consecutive diving catches in the top of the fourth. The squad then took the 2-1 lead in the fourth inning as first-year Greg Poll (East Granby, Conn.) sent an RBI single to left field in the bottom of the frame.
Southern Vermont took a 4-2 advantage with a three run fifth inning. Senior Dan Vardaro (Colonie, N.Y.) tripled in a pair of Mountaineers before scampering home on a wild pitch. The Bison knotted the game at 4-4 with a two-run sixth courtesy of a 2-RBI single by sophomore Brett Franciosi (Leominster, Mass.).
The teams then matched zeroes on the scoreboard until the top of the 10th. Freshman RJ Pingitore (Amsterdam, N.Y.), Vardaro and Nicastro each delivered an RBI for Southern Vermont to earn the 7-4 triumph.
Micciche batted 2-for-3 and Jankins went 3-for-5 at the dish to lead the Bison offensively. Armstrong paced the Mountaineers with a-3-for-4 outing and Roland Hernandez finished the second game 2-for-5.
Nicolace pitched the first five innings for the Bison as he surrendered four runs on six hits and struck out three. Junior Nick Croteau (Fitchburg, Mass.) was tagged with the loss as he went the final five innings allowing three runs – two earned – on four hits.
Senior Dave Northup (Richmond, R.I.) allowed a pair of runs in five innings to go along with four strikeouts in the start for the Mountaineers. Senior Joel DeFedele (North Kingstown, R.I.) gave up two runs on one hit is the sixth. Junior Kurt Kowalczyk (Amsterdam, N.Y.,) picked up the win as he did not allow a run in the final four innings.
Nichols heads to Terry Park tomorrow for a single 10:00 a.m. game against Pitt.-Bradford. Southern Vermont is off tomorrow and will take on Plymouth St. on Tuesday in a 10:00 a.m. twinbill.