BRISTOL, R.I. – The Nichols College baseball team split a doubleheader with Roger Williams University, winning game one 7-3, before falling to the Hawks 2-1 in 14 innings, in a pair of Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) games on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Bison ended the day at 7-15 overall and 1-1 in league games, while the Hawks moved to 7-11 overall and 1-1 in league games as well. Nichols is back in action Thursday afternoon when they host Framingham State University at 3:30 p.m.
 
Game One – Nichols 7, Roger Williams 3
Freshman Shay Souza's first career homerun, a three-run blast, was the difference for the Bison in picking up a 7-3 win in game one. Classmate Nathaniel Cormierwent 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI, while senior Cam Cook went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Junior Joe Assenza, senior Nick Roy, and sophomores Christian Naccari and Kyle Bouchard also registered hits in the win.
 
Junior Danny Hayden earned a no decision in the start for Nichols, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts in three innings of work. Sophomore Brodie Altiere picked up the win in relief, giving up one run on two hits in 2.0 innings, while senior Kevin Kirley picked up his first save of the season, allowing only one hit and one walk in 2.0 innings.
 
Roger Williams jumped out to a 2-0 lead with runs in the first and second innings, but Cam Cook knotted the game at 2-2 with one swing of the bat with a two run double that plated Roy and Cormier. Cormier put the Bison in front with a sac fly in the top of the fourth, but the Hawks answered with a run of its own to tie the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth.
 
With two outs in the top of the sixth, sophomore Ryan Nesbit worked a walk and pinch runner freshman Xavier Quinones moved to second on a single by Cormier. Souza followed with a three-run blast to give Nichols a 6-3 lead, and Naccari added a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh to help the Bison pull away for their first CCC win of the season.
 
Game Two – Roger Williams 2, Nichols 1 (14 Innings)
The Bison came out on the wrong end of a pitcher's duel in game two as both starters turned in dominant performances. Senior StigErik McElhinney gave up one run and scattered three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts in 7.2 innings of work. Freshman Matthew Stewart followed with 4.1 innings of shutout ball, giving up two hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Senior Vincent Amato suffered the setback for the Bison, giving up three hits and one run with a strikeout in 1.1 innings pitched.
 
Offensively, Nick Roy went 3-for-6 with an RBI, while Naccari and Cormier each went 2-for-6. Freshman Alexander Stroshine had the final two hits for the Bison in going 2-for-4 with the lone run scored.
 
Roger Williams scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning as the Hawks took advantage of a dropped third strike to plate a runner in the back door and take a 1-0 lead.
 
Stroshine led off the sixth with a single through the right side, and moved to second on a passed ball before being sacrificed to third base by Assenza. Nick Roy came through with the game-tying RBI single in the next at-bat to knot the game at 1-1.
 
Neither team was able to push a run across the board over the next fifth innings of extra play. Nichols came close to getting the go-ahead run in the 14th. The Bison had runners at the corners with only one out. Nichols tried to use a safety squeeze to get the runner home, but a great diving catch by the Roger Williams first baseman allowed him to double up the runner at first and give RWU a chance to win in the bottom of the inning.
 
The Hawks carried the momentum into the bottom of the frame as Roger Williams roped three-straight one-out singles to score the game-winning run and earn the doubleheader split.
 
All-Time Series
Sunday marked the 51st and 52nd meeting between the two teams and the series remains deadlocked at 26-26 dating back to 1988.