PUNTA GORDA, Fla. – The Nichols College baseball team split its final two games of its spring break trip, falling to Ohio Wesleyan, 7-1, before rallying for an 11-9 victory over Suquehanna University on Friday afternoon in Punta Gorda, Fla.
 
The Bison wrap up the trip at 4-7 overall and return to Massachusetts to take on WPI at the New England Baseball Complex on Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
 
In the first game of the day, senior Nick Roy went 2-for-5, while sophomore Kyle Bouchard went 2-for-3 with a run scored to lead the Bison offense. Senior Cam Cook, senior Chris Anderson, sophomore Payton Habeger, and freshman Nathaniel Cormier also added hits, with sophomore Christopher Cernigliaadding a 1-for-3 day with an RBI.
 
Senior StigErik McElhinney suffered the setback for the Bison, allowing six runs on 10 hits with a walk and four strikeouts in seven innings of work. Classmate Jackson White gave up one unearned run on four hits in two innings of work to wrap up the game.
 
The Bishops held a 5-0 lead through the sixth inning until the Bison finally got on the board in their half of the sixth. Bouchard singled to open the frame, and after an out, Habeger and Cormier both singled to load the bases. Chris Cerniglia stepped in and reached on a fielder's choice that allowed Bouchard to score to make it a 5-1 game, but the threat would end there as the Bishops worked out of the jam.
 
Ohio Wesleyan would tack on runs in the seventh and eighth innings to take a 7-1 advantage. The Bison threatened again in the eighth, loading the bases with two outs, but Nichols would come away empty-handed.
 
In game two, the Nichols offense woke up as the Bison scored 11 runs on 18 hits to rally from a 9-3 deficit to defeat the River Hawks. Six players registered multi-hit days for the Bison, led by Anderson's 4-for-6 day with four RBI and a run scored including his first homerun of the season. Kyle Bouchard also went 4-for-6 with a pair of RBI and a run scored, while Cormier went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Cam Cook and Christian Naccari combined to go 4-for-11 with four runs scored, while junior Joe Assenza was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
 
Freshman Justin Hurley picked up the win in relief of sophomore Andrew Charbonneau despite giving up five runs (two earned) on five hits in only an inning of work. Freshman Matthew Stewart picked up his second save of the season, striking out three and giving up only one hit over the final two innings of the game. Charbonneau earned a no-decision while giving up four runs (three earned) on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts in six innings.
 
The Bison struck first with an RBI double down the left field line from Anderson that plated Naccari, but the River Hawks scored the next four runs to take a 4-1 advantage through four innings. The Bison got one back in their half of the fifth on a homer by Anderson, and an RBI single from Bouchard pulled the Bison to 4-3.
 
There were plenty of fireworks in the seventh innings as the teams combined for 12 runs in the frame. Susquehanna plated five runs of their own in the top of the inning to take a 9-3 lead, but the Bison answered with seven runs of their own to climb in front, 11-9.
 
The Bison took advantage of a pair of errors in the inning to score two of their runs, while adding one more on a wild pitch. Bouchard and Anderson added RBI singles, with Cormier driving in a run with a double, and Assenza earning a sacrifice fly.
 
Stewart came on to start the eighth inning and mowed down the three batters he faced, before working around a two-out single by the River Hawks to strike out the final batter he faced and close out the win.
 
All-Time Series
Friday marked the seventh meeting between the Bison and Bishops, and Ohio Wesleyan leads the all-time series, 6-1. Nichols improved to 2-0 in the all-time series against Susquehanna with the win.