NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. – Nichols College senior Cam Cook went 1-for-4 with a stolen base to become the program's all-time leader in hits (176), and the Bison scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to rally for a 10-7 victory over Worcester State University on Saturday afternoon at the New England Baseball Complex.
 
The Bison snap a four game losing skid to improve to 6-11 overall, while the Lancers drop to 4-14. Nichols opens up its Commonwealth Coast Conference schedule on Monday afternoon when they travel to Salve Regina University for a doubleheader starting at 12:00 p.m.
 
Senior Nick Roy went 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored, while classmate Chris Anderson hit his second homerun of the season while going 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Sophomore Kyle Bouchard also went yard for the Bison, ending the day 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. The freshman duo of Nathaniel Cormier and Shay Souza each registered a hit and had two RBI apiece.
 
Freshman Justin Hurley got the start for the Bison and went five innings while giving up seven runs (three earned) on eight hits with five strikeouts. Classmate Dario Tarquinio scattered three hits with a strikeout in two innings of work, while senior Jackson White allowed one hit and struck out one in 0.2 innings.
 
Sophomore Brodie Altiere got the final out of the eighth inning via a strikeout to earn the win, and freshman Matthew Stewart earned his fourth save of the season, working around a pair of walks in the ninth.
 
Worcester State junior Mike Ferrera led the Lancer offense, going 3-for-4 with a homerun, two runs scored, and four RBI. Freshman Jake Breton went 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored, while sophomore Kevin Larkin also hit a homerun while going 1-for-4 with three RBI.
 
Junior Josh Boucher earned a no-decision for the Lancers, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits with a pair of strikeouts in five innings of work. Freshman Sean Mahan allowed four runs on five hits in 2.1 innings pitched to take the loss, while freshman Issiac Christiansen gave up three unearned runs on two hits in 0.1 innings.
 
Worcester State took advantage of a Nichols miscue in the top of the third inning as a dropped pop-up led to runners on the corners with two outs. Ferrera stepped in and singled to left to give the Lancers a 1-0 lead, and Larkin cleared the bases with a homerun to left to put Worcester State on top 4-0.
 
The Bison answered in their half of the fourth as Roy singled to center and hustled over to second on an error by the centerfielder to lead off the inning. After an out, Cook stepped in placed a perfect bunt down the first base line to move Roy to third while also becoming the all-time hits leader in program history. Roy would eventually come in to score on a sac fly from Bouchard to trim the deficit to 4-1.
 
Ferrera had the answer for the Lancers in the top of the fifth as he homered to left centerfield, scoring three runs, to put Worcester State on top 7-1.
 
Nichols started its comeback in the bottom of the fifth as Anderson led off the frame with a double and then moved to third on a single by sophomore Ryan Nesbit. Nesbit stole second, and both runners moved up on a wild pitch as Anderson scored to make it a 7-2 deficit. Souza drove in Nesbit with an RBI groundout to make it a 7-3 game after five.
 
The Lancers loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the sixth, but Tarquinio worked out of the jam, getting a groundout to third to end the inning. Keeping the Lancers off the board proved vital as Bouchard hit a monster homerun over the fence in right in the bottom of the sixth to pull the Bison to 7-4.
 
After Tarquinio pitched a perfect seventh, the Bison had runners on first and second with one out after a single from junior Joe Assenza and Souza reaching on a fielder's choice. Roy followed with an RBI single up the middle to plate Assenza and make it a two-run game at 7-5.
 
Jackson White replaced Tarquinio to start the eighth and he was greeted by a double from sophomore Keenan Kolanda. White got two quick outs, but he hit a batter to put runners on first and second, which led to a bullpen call to Brodie Altiere. Both runners would move up on a wild pitch, but Altiere struck out Breton looking to end the inning and keep the Bison within striking distance.
 
With one out in the top of the eighth, sophomore Christian Naccari doubled down the line in right, and Anderson tied the game at 7-7 with a towering homerun to left.
 
With two outs in the inning, Assenza struck out swinging, but the ball got away from the catcher and he threw it into right field, allowing the junior to reach base. Shay Souza stepped in and slapped a single through the right side, allowing Assenza to score all the way from first and putting the Bison in front 8-7. Roy followed with a ground-rule double, and Cormier cleared the bases with a two-run single up the middle to give Nichols a 10-7 lead.
 
Stewart would walk the first two batters he faced in the ninth, but got the next two batters to fly out before getting a groundout to Cormier to end the game and give Nichols the 10-7 victory.
 
All-Time Series
Saturday marked the 54th meeting between the two teams and the Lancers lead the all-time series 30-23-1.