DUDLEY, Mass. – Junior Tim Ford (Stafford Springs, Conn.) had a walk-off single in game one and belted a two-run home run in game two as the Nichols College baseball team swept its Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) doubleheader from Eastern Nazarene College Saturday afternoon at the Nichols Baseball Field.
The wins give the Bison 22 on the season, which ties the single-season program record set back in 2004.
Game One: Nichols 2, Eastern Nazarene 1
Ford drove a 3-2 pitch through the left side of the infield with two down to plate a pair of runners and give the Bison the walk-off win.
Nichols loaded the bases in the ninth with no outs, but a 5-2-3 double play left runners at second and third with two down. Following an intentional walk to senior Benjamin Harrow (North Reading, Mass.), Ford's single brought in sophomore Nick Roy (Middletown, Conn.) and sophomore pinch runner Chris Anderson (Naugatuck, Conn.).
The Lions had scored the only run of the game to that point on a solo blast off the bat of junior Brandon Wynne (New Haven, Conn.) in the second. They also turned three doubles plays to keep the Bison off the board through six.
Nichols senior Joseph Nicolace (Cranston, R.I.) scattered seven hits over six innings of work and did not factor in the decision. He did not walk a batter and fanned six. Freshman Chris Dipilato (Worcester, Mass.) worked a scoreless seventh and picked up his first collegiate win.
Junior Ragan Cole (Alamogordo, N.M.) surrendered eight hits and two runs in 6.2 innings of work and slipped to 1-3. He walked one and struck out two. Wynne and senior Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) each had two hits for ENC.
Game Two: Nichols 12, Eastern Nazarene 0
Following Ford's second home run of the season in the second, the Bison exploded for five runs in the third to move in front 7-0. Sophomore Nick Osma (Babylon, N.Y.) doubled in two runs while Roy, sophomore Brendan Martin (Nashua, N.H.), and freshman Joe Assenza (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) each had an RBI hit in the frame.
Later, Nichols threw up a 'five' spot in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run triple from Roy. That was more than enough run support for junior Adam Rigney (Niantic, Conn.), who tossed a complete-game, five-hitter to lift his record to 4-3.
Junior Cameron Fiorentino (Uxbridge, Mass.) was tagged for 11 hits and eight runs (seven earned) in 4.1 innings of work for the Lions. The loss drops his record to 3-6.
Roy finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBI while Osma and Ford each plated a pair. Martin, meanwhile, finished with three this.
Quotes
"The guys bought in and have worked really hard. We have very talented players and hard-working assistant coaches. They have put the work in to get to where we are. We're very fortunate to have the players and coaches that we do. We're not satisfied. We want to be one of the top three seeds in the conference tournament. That's going to put us in the best position to win a conference championship." – Nichols head coach Nick Puccio
"This blows my mind. This is amazing. Everyone is working hard and it's paying off. As time goes on, you build relationships with the guys. The guys who really wanted to be here are still here. It's turned into a family. We've become really close and that's what makes you play better." –Nichols senior Joe Nicolace
Next Games
Nichols (22-14, 9-5 CCC) – Sunday, May 1 vs Roger Williams (DH), 12:00 p.m.
Eastern Nazarene (15-23, 2-12 CCC) – season complete