DUDLEY, Mass. – The Nichols College baseball team opened it's home The Commonwealth Coast Conference slate with a doubleheader sweep of New England College Friday afternoon, winning game one, 9-1, before an 8-2 nightcap victory. The Bison (11-12, 6-6 TCCC) were led by a 5-for-6 day at the plate from first-year outfielder Jarred Stuczynski (Whitinsville, Mass.), who hit his first career home run in the second game.

Stuczynski totaled four RBI in the pair of games, stole a base and crossed the plate three times. Junior Cale LaCasse (Killingly, Conn.) finished 3-for-4 with a double, stole two bases, and drove in a pair of runs.

Senior Tom Bozek (Westfield, Mass.) earned the first-game win, scattering five hits while striking out six and walking none to improve his record to 2-2 on the year. Junior Tim Smith (Plainfield, Conn.) improved to 3-0 with the win in the second game, striking out six while walking one and allowing five hits. Both threw complete games.

Joe Clark  led the Pilgrims (5-13, 2-10 TCCC), going 2-for-6 with an RBI and  run scored. Taylor Vesey took the first-game loss, allowing nine runs on 10 hits while fanning one in the complete-game effort. In the second game, Dan Pratt gave up six runs (five earned) on nine hits in four innings to take the loss before giving way to Dean Delvecchio, who allowed two runs on three hits in the final two innings.

In game one, Nichols led off with a three-run first and added two in the second and one each in the third and fourth for a 7-0 lead headed into the fifth. The Pilgrims got one aboard in the top of the sixth, but the Bison added two more in the bottom of the frame.

The second game was more of the same, with the Bison putting five runs up in the second on six hits and an error before Stuczynski's solo shot in the third. Nichols added two in the bottom of the fifth before the Pilgrims pushed one across in the top of the sixth on an walk and a two-base error, then another in the top of the seventh on a single and a double.

Nichols continues TCCC play Saturday at Wentworth in a noon doubleheader. NEC travels to Curry for an 11 a.m. TCCC twinbill Saturday. 

Game One Box
Game Two Box