MILTON, Mass. - The Nichols College baseball team was blanked 3-0 and fell late in a 7-6 decision as the Bison were swept by Curry in a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) doubleheader on Saturday. With the wins, the Colonels move to 4-4-2 on the season (2-0 CCC), while the Bison now stand at 3-11 (0-2 CCC).

In the opener, the Colonels put the first run of the game on the board in the bottom of the second after sophomore Tanner Givens (Hamden, Conn.) hit a sacrifice fly to center to bring home senior Matt Rodriguez (Quincy, Mass.). In the third, sophomore Matt Warren (Wilbraham, Mass.) extended Curry's lead to 2-0 with a solo home run to center.

Rodriguez crossed home plate for the second time to account for the Colonels' final run of the game after junior Brandon Lewis (Barrington, R.I.) recorded an RBI double to left. In the seventh, Nichols recorded two singles off the bats of senior John Micciche (Holbrook, Mass.) and freshman Brady Boisvert (Plainfield, N.H.). With runners on first and third, sophomore Thomas Fitzpatrick (South Boston, Mass.) recorded his ninth strikeout of the game to complete the shutout.

Fitzpatrick pitched all seven innings and improved to 2-1 on the season, striking out nine while only allowing three hits. Junior Tyler Shute (Mashpee, Mass.) also went the distance, allowing six hits and three earned runs, while striking out eight in his 10th career complete game. Shute now stands at 0-3.

In the second game, Curry took an early 3-0 lead after the first inning. Senior Sam Barron (Hadley, Mass.) hit an RBI single to left to score the first run, while freshman Ryan Mulry (Hopedale, Mass.) crossed home plate on an error to record the second run. Junior Collin McCarthy (Quincy, Mass.) hit a sacrifice fly to left to bring home the final run of the inning.

After a scoreless second inning, Nichols cut the lead to one (3-2) in the top of the third. Micciche and senior Cody Jankins (West Brookfield, Mass.) both had RBI singles to account for the two runs. In the fourth, the Colonels extended the lead to 4-2 after freshman John Barkas (Holbrook, Mass.) hit a single to right to bring home Givens.

The Bison tied the game at 4-4 in the fifth after Micciche and Jankins recorded one more RBI apiece. After recording three-straight outs in the bottom of the frame, Nichols took the lead (5-4) in the top of the sixth. The Bison held the Colonels with another 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the sixth and then extended their lead to two (6-4) in the seventh.

In the bottom of the seventh, with two outs and two runners on base, junior Matt O'Neill (Milton, Mass.) tied the game with a two RBI double to left center. After a pair of walks, Givens singled to left to bring home O'Neill and claim the 7-6 victory.

Senior Corey Pierro got the start for Curry, allowing eight hits and five earned runs while striking out six in five innings of work on the mound. Junior Mark Rebello (Bellingham, Mass.) picked up his first win on the season, recording the final out for the Bison. Sophomore Collin Geagan (Watertown, Mass.) pitched the first four innings for Nichols, allowing four hits and one earned run while striking out three. Senior James Curto (Braintree, Mass.) absorbs the loss and falls to 1-2 on the season. Curto allowed one hit and three earned runs while striking out two in 2.2 innings pitched.

Jankins, along with senior Bryan Gill (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) and first-year Joseph Nicolace (Cranston, R.I.) each batted 2-for-4 and combined for three RBI in the nightcap.

The Colonels return to action on Monday as they travel to Gordon College for a conference doubleheader beginning at 2:00 p.m., while the Bison host Anna Maria for a single non-conference game at 3:30 p.m.

Courtesy Curry Sports Information