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Box Score 2 QUINCY, Mass. – The Nichols College baseball team, backed by a complete-game win from junior Tim Smith (Plainfield, Conn.), split a The Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader at Eastern Nazarene Saturday afternoon. The Crusaders took the first game, 2-1, and Smith backed the Bison to a 9-1 nightcap victory with four hits and three walks while striking out two, improving to 2-0 on the season.
In the opening game at Quincy's Adams Field, Eastern Nazarene came out on top in a pitching duel as each pitcher threw six-hitters keeping the game tight through seven innings.
The Crusaders went up 1-0 in the 1st when lead off hitter Victor Torres walked on, stole second and then was knocked in on Anthony Melendez's double to the left field fence.
The Crusaders tacked on another in the 3rd when Justin Denbow singled and advanced to third on Dave Dickerson's double to right field. Johan Villalona then hit a hard hit ball to short stop that was mishandled and allowed run number two to cross the plate.
Nichols got one back in the fifth when Matt Whitman (North Plainfield, N.J.) walked on, advanced to second on an infield ground out and was singled home by Zach Johnson (Wakefield, R.I.) to make the score 2-1.
But Eastern Nazarene starting pitcher Steve Oehschlaeger got one out in the seventh before being relieved by lefty Josh Daniels. Daniels forced the Bison to hit into a game ending double play. Oehlschlaeger gets the win having pitched six and a third while allowing six hits, striking out four and walking one to improve to 2-1 on the season while Daniels gets his second save.
Nichols Tom Bozek (Westfield, Mass.) took the loss having pitched six innings, allowing six hits, striking out one and walking two while falling to 1-2 on the season.
Second baseman Jimmy Williams went 2 for 2 at the plate for the Crusaders while the Whitman went 2 for 2 at the plate with a walk and a run scored to lead the Bison.
In Game 2 the Bison's bats came alive, collecting 11 hits, and used two innings to push 9 runners across the plate while Smith shut the Crusaders down on offense and go on to win 9-1.
Eastern Nazarene scored first when Jeffrey Hostos and Jimmy Williams got on first and second with two singles. George Williams grounded to shortstop and a throwing error allowed Hostos to go home and give the Crusaders a 1-0 lead.
Nichols struck in the third though with four runs off of two 2RBI singles. With runners on second and third, Johnson singled to right center and then Chris Nemeskal (Swampscott, Mass.) singled up the middle to score two more before the inning ended as the score stood at 4-1.
The Bison then struck in the seventh to make the game wide open as they scored five runs off of 4 hits, 2 walks and an error and went on to win 9-1, and split the The Commonwealth Coast Conference double-header with the Crusaders.
DH Austin Martin (Wakefield, Mass.) went 2 for 2 with an RBI and a run scored as Josh Clark (Brunswick, Maine) and Robert Birkbeck (Worcester, Mass.) each went 2 for 4 at the plate with an RBI.
Crusader Justin Denbow fell to 1-1 as he pitched four innings of four hit, two strike out and one walk ball while yielding four runs to the Bison. Crusaders Jimmy Williams went 2 for 3 to lead the home team at the plate in game 2.
Eastern Nazarene (10-8, 2-4 TCCC) hosts Endicott on Wednesday, April 1 at Adams Field at 12:30 pm while Nichols (6-7, 1-3 TCCC) travels to Western New England on Monday, March 30.
Story courtesy Eastern Nazarene Sports Information
Game One Box
Game Two Box
