Box Score

CAPE CORAL, Fla. – Sophomore Jordan D'Aurio (Northford, Conn.) laced a two-run double in the sixth to help the Nichols College softball team rally from a 3-0 deficit and defeat the University of New England 5-3 Sunday morning in non-conference action at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic at the Cape Coral Sports Complex.

Freshman Meghan Sears (Tewksbury, Mass.) also drove in a pair of runs as the Bison (2-3) defeated the Nor'easters (1-2) for the fifth time in the last seven meetings. In the circle, sophomore Haley Fountain (Warren, Mass.) picked up her first win of the season, allowing three runs (two earned) over seven IP with no walks or strikeouts.

UNE scored three times in the top of the fourth before Sears RBI single brought home junior Avery Orszulak (Springfield, Mass.) and freshman Christina Drake (Lebanon, N.H.), cutting the Nichols deficit to 3-2. In the sixth, D'Aurio's two-out double down the left field line plated sophomores Alexa Polverari (Branford, Conn.) and Victoria Utter (Stafford Springs, Conn.), making it 4-3 Bison. D'Aurio came around to score the third run of the frame on a ball hit by senior Rebecca Palmarozza (Hamden, Conn.).

In the top of the seventh, the Nor'easters got two runners on base before Fountain retired the final out of the game on a grounder to senior Emalee Watkins (Malden, Mass.) at shortstop.

Both schools are back at it at 11 a.m. as Nichols plays SUNY Brockport while UNE plays Smith.