WENHAM, Mass. – The Nichols College baseball team split a doubleheader with Gordon College in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action Friday evening at J. Tec White Field. The Bison dropped Game 1, 6-5, in 10 innings before bouncing back in Game 2 with a 4-3 win.

Game 1: Gordon 6, Nichols 5 (10 innings)

Sophomore Nick Roy (Middletown, Conn.) drove in three runs and scored two others while junior Matt Hardy (North Attleboro, Mass.) picked up a team-high three hits as the Bison fell to the Fighting Scots in Game 1 of a doubleheader, 6-5, in 10 innings.

The Fighting Scots were led by junior Dean Demers (Sandy Hook, Conn.) who drove in three runs on three hits as well as sophomore Travis Benoit (Worcester, Mass.) who scored three runs and had two RBI's – including a walk-off solo homerun in the 10th inning.

The Bison led 4-3 after three innings against junior Matt Amore (Pequannock, N.J.) – who leads the conference in both wins and strikeouts to go with his 1.64 earned run average (ERA). Demers singled in a run in the fourth to tie things up at four.

Junior Tim Ford (Stafford Springs, Conn.) drove in the go-ahead run in the first extra frame when he doubled to left center field, scoring Roy. The Fighting Scots answered right back in the bottom half of the eighth with a bomb to left field by Benoit off of the conference's save leader, sophomore Kevin Kirley (Clinton, Mass.).

Benoit then hit his second homerun of the game in the 10th inning to give the Fighting Scots the win.

Game 2: Nichols 4, Gordon 3 (7 innings)

The Bison and Fighting Scots remained scoreless through four innings of play until Nichols scratched across three runs in the fifth inning – including a 2-RBI single by sophomore Ross Caswell (Randolph, Vt.) that scored Hardy and sophomore Cam Cook (Phoenixville, Pa.).

Sophomore Spencer Madden (Nashua, N.H.) belted his second homerun of the season an inning later to put the Bison up 4-0.

Gordon didn't go down without a fight, however. Freshman Chris Leavitt (East Bridgewater, Mass.) laced a single to right center field that brought home junior Ryan Paulsen (Latham, N.Y.) to put the Fighting Scots on the board. Freshman Alec Willey (San Diego, Calif.) stepped up next and drove the ball over the right field fence to pull the game within one run.

The Fighting Scots then loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh before junior Adam Rigney (Niantic, Conn.) shut the door and forced sophomore Addison Tarr (Oxnard, Calif.) to ground out to the shortstop to end the game.

Rigney pitched the full way and allowed just three runs on four hits and a walk while striking out two. Senior Scott Hall (Weymouth, Mass.) also pitched seven innings for the Fighting Scots and took his first loss of the year (4-1) after allowing four runs (three earned) on 10 hits and a walk while striking out three.

All-Time Series

The Bison are now 1-4-1 against the Fighting Scots under third-year head coach Nick Puccio.

Next Games

Nichols (13-11, 4-2 CCC) – Saturday, April 16 vs Curry, 12:00 p.m
Gordon (16-8, 5-3 CCC) – Saturday, April 16 at Endicott, 12:00 p.m