Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 QUINCY, Mass.(April 27) -- The Nichols College baseball team got outstanding starting pitching performances in both games of Wednesday's doubleheader sweep of The Commonwealth Coast Conference opponent Eastern Nazarene winning 4-2 and 3-0. The pair of wins moves Nichols to 6-14 in conference play and 11-21 on the year while the Lions finish up the 2011 season 8-26 and 5-17 in conference.

Game One
Eastern Nazarene senior right hander Steven Oehlschlaeger came out of the gates firing as he retired the first 13 hitters he faced, striking out 8 of them. Eastern Nazarene broke through on the scoreboard first as Danny Rodriguez launched a 1-0 fastball from Nichols' Mat Whitman (North Plainfield, N.J.) over the centerfield wall for a solo homer and a 1-0 Lions lead.

After Oehlschlaeger retired the side in order in the top of the sixth, Manning smacked a home run to right field to stretch the Lions' lead to 2-0 heading into the seventh.

Three outs away from a no- hitter, Oehlschlager struck out Whitman to lead off the top of the seventh. The next Nichols hitter, Richie Burke (Newburyport, Mass.) brought the drama to a close with a double to centerfield to break up the no- hit effort after 6 1/3 innings. The next batter, John Micciche (Holbrook, Mass.) followed with another double to plate Burke and cut the ENC lead to 2-1. Shayne McNally (#) battled as the next hitter and lined a 1-2 pitch into centerfield to score pinch runner Nick Shaw (Plymouth, Mass.) from second base and knot things up at two apiece.

In the top of the eighth, Nichols catcher Dylan Courtney (Ware, Mass.) reached second base on a dropped fly ball before Zac Johnson (Wakefield, R.I.) singled him home for the go ahead run. Two batters later, an infield throwing error allowed Johnson to score and build the eventual lead to 4-2.

Whitman recovered from two solo homers by the Lions to pick up the victory on the mound for Nichols. He allowed just two earned runs on six hits in eight innings while striking out seven.

Oehlschlaeger took the tough loss for the Lions allowing just two earned runs over eight innings. Oehlschlaeger struck out a season high 12 hitters while only walking one.

Eastern Nazarene centerfielder Juan Rivera picked up two hits while Manning joined Rivera as the only other player in game one with two hits going 2 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI.

Game Two
Nichols carried over its late offensive surge in game one to the first inning of game two as Whitman led things off with a sharp single to right field. The next batter Josh Clark (Brunswick, Maine) walked and McNally singled home Whitman to give the Bison the early 1-0 lead.

The Bison added a second run in the top of the third inning as Clark led off with a triple before scoring on a wild pitch to stretch the lead to 2-0.

The Lions offense could not get anything going against Nichols right hander Michael Rafferty (Framingham, Mass.) as he allowed just five hits in the complete game effort.

Nichols added single run in their half of the sixth as Micciche doubled home McNally to extend the lead to 3-0.

Rafferty finished off the complete game shutout by allowing only a single to Eastern Nazarene's Matt Winders before closing out the victory in the seventh. Rafferty did not walk a hitter while striking out seven.

Eastern Nazarene starter Justin Denbow pitched six solid innings as the senior left hander allowed just three runs on seven hits while striking out five.

Nichols' Clark led all players offensively going 2 for 3 with a run scored while teammate Micciche added two hits and drove in a run.

The Bison wrap up regular season action tomorrow with a 2 p.m. home conference doubleheader against Curry.


Story courtesy Eastern Nazarene Sports Information

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score