Worcester St. 8, Nichols 5
Northborough, Mass. – New England Baseball Complex
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Northborough, Mass. – New England Baseball Complex
Sunday, February 28, 2016
The loss marks the 10th consecutive defeat for the Bison in the series but only the second time under third-year head coach Nick Puccio.
Three Stars of the Game
1 – Junior Mike Powers (Weymouth, Mass.) (WSU) – 4-for-5, three-run homerun, two runs scored (game-winning run)
2 – Junior Josh Creamer (Worcester, Mass.) (WSU) – 1-for-4, game-winning RBI in the Top of the 8th
3 – Sophomore Nick Roy (Middletown, Conn.) (Nichols) – 1-for-4, two RBI's, one run scored
Quick Synopsis
The Nichols College baseball team opened up its 2016 season with an 8-5 loss to Worcester State in non-conference action Sunday afternoon at the New England Baseball Complex. The Lancers scored four in the fifth inning and three in the eighth inning on their way to their third win of the season.
Key Stat of the Game
The Bison committed four errors in the game including two in the four-run fifth inning and one in a three-run eighth inning for the Lancers.
Turning Point
The Bison led 1-0 until Powers hit a 3-run homerun in the top of the fifth to give the Lancers the lead which they would never relinquish.
Quick Hits
- The Bison struck first in the bottom of the fourth when sophomore Greg Eng (Middletown, R.I.) singled to centerfield scoring classmate Spencer Madden (Nashua, N.H.).
- Powers homered to left field to answer back for the Lancers in their next at-bat, scoring freshmen Mike Ferrara (Easton, Mass.) and Josh Pageau (Millbury, Mass.). Creamer reached on an error immediately after and later scored on a sacrifice fly to centerfield by freshman Kevin Valentine (Milford, Mass.).
- The Lancers added one more in the sixth on a bases loaded walk of junior Jake Ryan (Northbridge, Mass.) that scored Ferrara.
- Worcester State extended its lead to 8-1 with three runs in the eighth inning including an RBI-double by junior Adam Barry (Auburn, Mass.) that scored Ryan.
- The Bison would not go down without a fight however scoring four two-out runs in the bottom of the eighth. Nichols began the inning with three singles from freshman Joe Assenza (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), sophomore Cam Cook(Phoenixville, Pa.), and junior Matt Hardy (North Attleboro, Mass.) to load the bases. Following a fly out from Madden, junior Tim Ford (Stafford Springs, Conn.) grounded out to third, advancing all runners and scoring Assenza. Roy then stepped up with a two-RBI single to right field. The Bison scored their final run after junior Anthony Razzano (Shrewsbury, Mass.) was plunked with the bases loaded to score Roy.
- Sophomore Vincent Amato (Brooklyn, N.Y.) took the loss after tossing four innings and allowing four runs (two earned) on three hits and one walk while striking out two.
- The Lancers went with a pitch by committee with nine student-athletes toeing the rubber. Sophomore Owen Gibbons (Sterling, Mass.) took the win after pitching a scoreless fifth inning.
Quotes
"It's good to get out and play early in the season. The earlier we can start our season, the sooner we can learn who and what are team is. We are always learning from our experiences, and today was a great example of that." – Nichols College head coach Nick Puccio
Next up
Nichols (0-1-0) – Friday, March 11 vs Ohio Wesleyan in Port Charlotte, Fla., 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Worcester State (3-0-0) – Saturday, March 5 at SUNY-Purchase, 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.