LEOMINSTER, Mass. – The Nichols College baseball team suffered a 7-4 setback to Fitchburg State in a non-conference game played at Pin Cannavino Field on Wednesday afternoon.
Senior John Micciche (Holbrook, Mass.) led the Bison batters with a 2-for-3 day at the plate with two RBI and two runs scored while first-year Brady Boisvert (Plainfield, N.H.) batted 2-for-5 and crossed home plate once. Junior Nick Croteau (Fitchburg, Mass.) shouldered the loss as he allowed two runs on four hits and struck out a pair in the seventh. Sophomore Chris Johnson (Mansfield, Mass.) did not allow a run on two hits in the first three frames and fanned one batter in his second career start. Senior Ray Curto (Braintree, Mass.) saw action in the second and third while rookies Ryan Pichel (Littleton, Mass.) and Ryan McLane (Wallingford, Conn.) took the mound in the sixth and eighth, respectively.
Senior AJ Silberman (Meriden, Conn.) went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored to lead all players at the dish. Junior Joseph Balboni (Townsend, Mass.) and sophomore Brendan Cutler (Lancaster, Mass.) came off the bench to go a combined 5-for-5 for the Falcons. Junior Alex Heroux (Leominster, Mass.) also had a pair of hits for the hosts as he also recorded and RBI and a run scored. Senior Zachary Bombria (Bolton, Conn.) picked up the win for his two scoreless innings that featured four strikeouts while classmate Pat Mercier (Lancaster, Mass.) earned his first save of the year. Senior Cody Bamforth (Vernon, Conn.) was touched up for three runs in the first two innings as sophomore Max Tejeda (Acton, Mass.) surrendered one run on one hit in four innings for the Falcons.
After a pair of scoreless innings by both sides, Nichols broke through in the top of the third. Micciche dented the scoreboard when he delivered two runs on a seeing eye-single through the left side. Later in the frame, sophomore Brett Franciosi (Leominster, Mass.) reached on an infield miscue that allowed Micciche to scamper home for the game's third run.
The Bison extended their advantage to 4-0 as rookie Joseph Nicolace (Cranston, R.I.) laced an RBI single to center field in the beginning of the fifth. In the home half of the stanza, Fitchburg State pulled within a run courtesy of a two-out three-run blast by Silberman. Heroux evened the game in the sixth with a run-producing double to left center.
The Bison appeared to have momentum in the top of the seventh. With one out and the bases juiced, the Falcons prevented a run from crossing home plate as junior David Mason (Leominster, Mass.) erased the lead runner at home with a laser from right field before the threat ended with a swinging strikeout to leave three runners aboard.
Fitchburg State jumped ahead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh beginning with a Balboni single up the middle to bring in the go-ahead run. Mason then helped manufacture a run as he was credited with an RBI on a grounder to second base. Sophomore Pierce Hans (Washington Township, N.J.) added an insurance tally in the eighth with a run-producing ground out to short.
Tomorrow's game between the Bison (3-13) and Newbury has been postponed with a new date and time to be announced. The squad is now slated to play its home-opener at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday with a doubleheader against Western New England. Fitchburg State (9-5-1) heads to Eastern Nazarene tomorrow for a 3:30 p.m. non-conference game.