QUINCY, Mass. – The Nichols College baseball team swept a pair of Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) games from Roger Williams University Sunday at Paolino Field.
With the wins, the Bison move to 24-14 on the season (11-5 CCC); the 24 wins is a program-record, breaking the previous mark of 22, set back in 2004. With a 4-0 weekend, the Bison have secured the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament and will host No. 4 Salve Regina on Thursday, May 5 at 3 p.m.
Game One: Nichols 4, Roger Williams 3
Senior Benjamin Harrow (North Reading, Mass.) poked a two-run single up the middle in the sixth inning to put the Bison ahead 3-2 and propel them to victory in the opener. Sophomore Nick Osma (Babylon, N.Y.) executed a squeeze bunt later in the frame that allowed classmate Nick Roy (Nashua, N.H.) to score the eventual winning run.
Sophomore StigErik McElhinney (Dracut, Mass.) pitched 5.2 innings to earn his fourth win of the season for the Bison. He allowed seven hits and three runs while walking three and striking out four. Sophomore Jimmy Smith (Walpole, Mass.) surrendered seven hits and four runs (three earned) over six and took the loss, his fourth of 2016.
Seven different student-athletes recorded one hit for Nichols. Freshman Eli Cammer (Hamden, Conn.) went 2-for-3 with two runs scored for the Hawks.
Game Two: Nichols 6, Roger Williams 4
The Bison scored five times in the second and held on for a 6-4 win in the nightcap. Roy went 3-for-4 with two RBI while junior Matt Hardy (North Attleboro, Mass.) and sophomore Cam Cook (Phoenixville, Pa.) each recorded two hits.
Cook's sac fly in the second opened the scoring before Roy and sophomore Ross Caswell (Randolph, Vt.) each had an RBI single to make it 3-0. Two more runs came in on an error.
The Hawks got two back in the third to cut their deficit to 5-2, but junior Tim Ford (Stafford Springs, Conn.) drove in a run with a single to left in the fifth for NC to push the lead up to 6-2. Roger Williams put up a '2' spot in the sixth but went quietly in the ninth.
Sophomore Vincent Amato (Brooklyn, N.Y.) gave up 10 hits and four runs with two walks and three strikeouts to pick up his third win. Roger Williams senior Tyler Campo (Wrentham, Mass.) surrendered eight hits and six runs (four earned) in 4.2 IP in defeat. He walked four and struck out five.
Senior Kevin Baker (Wilbraham, Mass.), sophomore Jimmy Goober (Burlington, Mass.), and freshman Chris Bosco (North Andover, Mass.) each had an RBI for Roger Williams.
All-Time Series
Today's games marked the 28th and 29th all-time meetings between Nichols College and Roger Williams University. The wins helped close the gap in the all-time series to 17-12 in favor of the Hawks.
Next Games
Nichols (24-14, 11-5 CCC) – Tuesday, May 3 vs Westfield St., 3:30 p.m.
Roger Williams (15-22, 5-11 CCC) – season complete