PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – The Nichols College baseball team defeated Denison University 10-7 in non-conference action Friday evening in the Snowbird Classic.
 
The Bison trailed the game 5-3 entering the eighth inning before scoring six runs over the final two innings to take the win.
 
The Bison saw four student-athletes with multi-hit games – including senior Matt Hardy (North Attleboro, Mass.) and freshman Kyle Bouchard (Fall River, Mass.) who also scored a pair of runs apiece. Bouchard also drove in two runs in the game.
 
After a shaky first inning in which he allowed four runs, junior Vincent Amato (Brooklyn, N.Y.) settled down to allow just five runs through seven innings of work on nine hits and three strikeouts. Junior Kevin Kirley (Clinton, Mass.) pitched the final two frames to earn the win.
 
Senior Phil Papaioannou (Morton Grove, Ill.) finished the game 3-for-5 with an RBI and one run scored to lead the Big Red. Junior Tanner Johnson (Jefferson, Wis.) added a pair of RBI's to go with his two hits and a run scored as well.
 
Junior Perley Provost (South Bend, Ind.) was in line for the win for Denison after tossing the first six innings and allowing four runs (one earned) on five hits but saw his win go away with the Bison's late surge on the relief pitching.
 
All-Time Series
This was the first meeting all-time between the Bison and the Big Red's with Nichols now leading the all-time series at, 1-0.
 
Next Games
Denison (6-3) – Saturday, March 18 vs North Central (Ill.) in Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla., 12:00 p.m.
Nichols (6-3) –Saturday, March 18 vs Susquehanna in Snowbird Classic Punta Gorda, Fla., 10:00 a.m.