COCOA, Fla. (March 19) – The Nichols College baseball team capped its Florida trip with a 19-0 victory over Hilbert College Friday morning. The Bison received home runs from three players, including shots from Austin Martin (Wakefield, R.I.) and Josh Clark (Brunswick, Maine) for the second consecutive game. Nichols returns to Massachusetts with a 4-5 record and opens TCCC play on Tuesday in a doubleheader at Roger Williams.

Michael Rafferty (Framingham, Mass.) earned the win with two innings of relief work, striking out three and allowing one hit. Michael Sannicandro (Upton, Mass.) struck out two, walked three and allowed two hits in the first four innings. Dan Vreeland (Becket, Mass.) struck out two and retired the side in order in the ninth to close out the game. JC LeBarron (Bennington, Vt.) and Scott Leecock (Palmer, Mass.) joined the staff for a combined three-hitter on the day.

Nichols had runners in scoring position in all but one inning and pushed runs across in the fourth through ninth innings, putting up five in the fifth and four in the ninth. The Bison combined for 24 hits in the game, led by 3-for-4 efforts from Martin, Dan Smith (Verona, N.J.) and Jarred Stuczynski (Whitinsville, Mass.). In all, seven Bison collected multiple hits on the day, and had three players with two RBI: Martin, Clark and Matt Whitman (North Plainfield, N.J.). George Sergi (Blackstone, Mass.) was 1-for-1 with a solo homerun.

Nichols opens TCCC play Tuesday in a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Roger Williams.

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