MILTON, Mass. (4/22/2024) – Graduate student Patrick Sawyer and senior Ben Jerome each hit the 100 milestone for the Nichols College baseball team, as they topped Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opponent Curry on Monday afternoon in a pair of seven inning games. Nichols won game one 5-1 before cruising to a 10-1 win in the second game.
Sawyer eclipsed the 100 strike out mark for his career with his first strikeout of the game in the third inning of game one. Jerome tallied three total hits on the afternoon for Nichols, and hit the 100-hit mark, becoming the 38th member to hit the mark for his career.
Senior Brenna Hyde led the way offensively for the Bison. Hyde finished going 3-8 with six RBI and a run scored. Hyde launched his fifth home run of the season to tie himself for the all-time program record of 21 home runs for his career.
Game 1: Nichols 5 Curry 2
Nichols opened the scoring in the top of the third inning, after neither team was able to get anything offensively going. Graduate Student Jim Marasco walked to open the inning and then Jerome singled with one out to push to third base. A failed pick off attempt, resulted in the ball missing the pitcher and Marasco scoring on the play for a 1-0 lead. Hyde then reached on an error by the second basemen, which allowed Jerome to score, making it 2-0 Bison.
The Colonels chipped away at the Bison lead, with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning, off a single to left field, with runners on the corners. In the bottom of sixth inning Curry homered to right field to tie the game at 2-2, with an inning to play.
In the top of the seventh inning, Marasco doubled into the right center gap. Sophomore Dylan Moran laid down a sac bunt to advance junior Stanley Cipkas, who was pinch running for Marasco, to third base with one out. Knox then lifted a ball into left field, and scored Cipkas, via the sac fly for a 3-2 lead. Hyde then batted with Jerome on base and launched a ball to the opposite field and over the right field wall for a home run, to give Nichols a 5-2 lead on Curry in the seventh.
Junior Sean Ryan entered in the bottom of the seventh and slammed the door closed, facing three batters and hitting one and striking out the final batter for the third out. This was Ryan's first save of the season. Nichols hung on to 5-2 over Curry in game one.
Sawyer (4-3) threw 6.0 innings, allowing five hits, while striking out three batters and allowing two runs (1 earned). Sawyer earned his 100th strikeout with his first fanned batter of the third inning.
Game 2: Nichols 10 Curry 1
Knox walked to open the inning with one out and then stole second base before advancing to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Graduate student Will Kleinhenz then walked to put runners on the corners and senior Andrew Croteau singled to center and scored Knox. Junior Will Nath then singled scoring Kleinhenz from second base. Nath stole second base and Croteau scored on an error by the catcher after swiping third base. Nichols led 3-0 after the first inning.
Curry responded with an RBI single of their own in the bottom of the first inning. The Bison tacked on three more runs un the second inning. Nichols worked the bases loaded and Hyde came to bat. He hit a double to left field and score both Moran and Jerome in the process to make it 5-1 Bison. Knox came around to score on a ground out from Kleinhenz.
Nichols added three more in the top of the third inning to blow the game wide open. Three straight singled to open the inning, scored junior Taj Vera Cruz from second. Knox then hit an RBI single and so dd Hyde to make it 9-1 Bison in the third inning. Nichols added their 10th run in the on a based loaded walk to Hyde.
Junior John Steed (4-1) earned his fourth win of the year for the Bison, tossing 4.0 innings of work, allowing one run and striking out one. Junior Sal D'Anna threw 1.0 of work, with one strikeout. Freshman Jaden Mwangi added a strikeout as well in his 1.0 inning of action.
Nichols (20-8) will return home to face off against the United States Coast Guard Academy from the Nichols Baseball Field. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.