Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 DUDLEY, Mass. (April 21) – The Nichols College baseball team posted its first The Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader sweep of the season Thursday afternoon, defeating visiting New England College, 8-0 and 4-3. The Bison got a complete-game five-hitter from freshman righty Tyler Shute (Mashpee, Mass.) in the opener and saw the go-ahead runs cross the plate in the third inning of the second game on a two-run double from John Micciche (Holbrook, Mass.). Nichols improves to 9-17 overall and 4-10 in TCCC games, while New England College falls to 7-18 overall and 3-12 in conference games.

Shute fanned four in the opener, including two to erase a one-out double by Pierce Byrd in the first inning. Three baserunners got aboard in the second, but George Sergi (Blackstone, Mass.) caught a fly ball in left and relayed it for a play at the plate to end the inning and keep the Pilgrims off the board.

Mat Whitman (North Plainfield, N.J.) was hit by a pitch to lead off the Bison first, scoring on a Chris Nemeskal (Swampscott, Mass.) single after stealing second. Whitman doubled after Bryan Gill (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) led off the third with a single, and both scored on an Austin Martin (Cranston, R.I.) single to give Nichols a 3-0 lead after three.

In the fourth, the Bison took advantage of a pair of infield errors to plate two on a Gill one-out single. He advanced to third on the throw out attempt and scored when Jarred Stuczynski (Whitinsville, Mass.) reached via error.

Entering the sixth with a 6-0 lead, Nichols reverted to small ball to get two on and advance them to second and third, setting up Whitman for a two-run single. Whitman finished the game 2-for-3 with a stolen base, two RBI and a pair of runs scored. Gill was 2-for-2, with two runs scored and two RBI.
Shute improved to 3-2 on the year with his second complete-game effort. Eric Johnson was tagged with the loss, allowing eight runs (four earned) on eight hits. He struck out three and walked one.

The Pilgrims got off to a hot start in game two, jumping out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning, but Nichols got two back in the bottom half of the frame, and took the lead for good in the third on Micciche's double.
With one out, Byrd drew a walk from Nichols pitcher Ray Curto (Braintree, Mass.) and headed to third when PJ Crowley made his way to second after his single to left was mishandled in the outfield. The pair each advanced when an errant pitch went out of play despite the best efforts of Courtney behind the plate. Curto got Brandon Adorno (Fort Myers, Fla.) to strike out swinging, but an RBI single from Lucas Burgess followed by three consecutive walks gave the Pilgrims a 3-0 lead before Curto could get out of the inning with another strikeout – this time to John Holtman.

Josh Clark (Brunswick, Maine) followed a Whitman leadoff walk with a single and stole second to put both runners in scoring position. Whitman scored on a Martin single, and Clark made it 3-2 when Stuczynski reached on an error.

Shayne McNally (Auburn, Mass.) and Stuczynski each singled in the fourth and advanced to second and third on a wild pitch to set up Micciche's two-run double. The Bison threatened in the fifth with one out and runners on second and third, but two consecutive strikeouts ended the inning. Stuczynski finished the game 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Dan Vreeland (Becket, Mass.) came on for Nichols to start the third, and held the Pilgrims hitless through 4.2 innings of relief work, striking out two and walking three. He got two quick outs to start the seventh but walked one before Scott Leecock (Palmer, Mass.) came on to finish the game. He walked one and induced a flyout to right to earn his second save of the season. Vreeland earned the win, improving to 1-2 on the year.

Chris Wallace took the loss (1-4) with four runs (three earned) on eight hits despite six strikeouts in the complete-game effort.

Nichols continues TCCC action tomorrow in a 2 p.m. twinbill at Endicott. New England College hosts Rivier Friday for a 2:30 p.m. non-conference doubleheader.


Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score