Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 DUDLEY, Mass. (April 26) – The Nichols College softball team cranked out a combined 21 hits and received an eight-strikeout performance from junior pitcher Molly Ferraro (Millis, Mass.) in game two as the Bison swept visiting Gordon College, 6-1 and 8-1 in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader Tuesday. Nichols improves to 20-15 overall and 15-7 in TCCC games, while Gordon finishes the year at 12-23 overall and 7-17 in league play.

Ferraro scattered six hits and walked only one while striking out a season-high eight in her 10th win of the year. Senior Kara Buckley (Nashua, N.H.) was equally effective in the first game, allowing one unearned run on five hits while walking one and striking out three in her fifth victory of the year.
At the plate, first year outfielder Allasyn Lieneck (Oldsmar, Fla.) delivered her first career home run amongst a 4-for-7 performance on the day. Classmate Emalee Watkins (Malden, Mass.) finished 3-for-5 with solo home run in game two. Savannah Thibault (Marlborough, Mass.) was 4-for-6 with three doubles and two RBI.

Lieneck's solo shot over the right field fence put Nichols on the board with one out in the third inning. A Rachel Otto single scored Kerry McPartlan, who reached via infield error, to knot the game in the fourth, but Buckley got out of a bases-loaded jam with a groundout to third to escape further damage. Otto was 4-for-6 with an RBI on the day.

The Bison batted around in the sixth, scoring five runs on just three hits to put the game out of reach. Watkins led off the inning with a walk and came across as the go-ahead run on a Thibault double.

Hannah Lawrence took the loss for the Scots with six runs (five earned) on seven hits, while walking two and striking out one.

Nichols wasted little time getting on the board in game two, and finished the game with 16 different players seeing time at the plate. Thibault delivered a two-out RBI double in the first to score Watkins, and a walk to Kylie Langton (Medford, Mass.) in the second turned into another Bison run after she advanced on a groundout and a wild pitch before crossing the plate on an RBI single from Barbara Roy (Springfield, Mass.) at the leadoff spot. Watkins homered to lead off the third before Mary Kate Frodema (Springfield, Mass.) singled and Thibault doubled. With runners on second and third, Jenna Priore (Petersburgh, N.Y.) pushed them ahead with a sac bunt before Thibault scored on a wild pitch for a 5-0 Nichols lead after three.

Elisabeth Cheesman led off the top of the sixth with a double and advanced to third on a Kendall Bukuras single. With the runners on the corners, Bukuras took off for second and Cheesman stole home despite the best efforts of the Bison's infield.

Nichols again came alive in the sixth with six pinch hitters. Ashley McCool (Pepperell, Mass.) bunted her way to first to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After a Rebecca Waszczuk (Chester, N.H.) flyout, Shannon Weeks (Greenfield, Mass.) drove in McCool with an RBI single. Sarah Guindon (Millis, Mass.) and Rebecca Palmarozza (Hamden, Conn.) had back-to-back singles, scoring Weeks before a groundout from Joycelyn Gionfriddo (East Hartford, Conn.) advanced the pair to second and third. Guindon came across the plate on a dropped third strike to Amanda Broughton (Plymouth, Mass.), capping the scoring.

The Scots looked to make a run in the top of the seventh, but a heads-up double play from Ferraro to Watkins at second and Langton at first cleared the bases after a leadoff single from Otto. Ferraro got the final out herself with an off speed pitch to catch Jessica Dupre looking.

Skylar Bareford took the loss for the Scots, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on 14 hits while walking one and striking out three.

Nichols hosts Eastern Nazarene Thursday at 3 p.m. for the Bison's TCCC regular-season finale.

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score