Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

DUDLEY, Mass. – The Nichols College softball team was defeated by Western New England 7-0 and 8-0 in a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) doubleheader Friday afternoon at the Nichols Softball Field.

Freshman Gabby Lavinio (Dalton, Mass.) finished the afternoon 5-for-6 with two home runs, three RBI and three runs scored while senior Katie Eckert (Lee, Mass.) picked up four RBI for the Golden Bears (15-15, 11-7 CCC). Junior Avery Orszulak (Springfield, Mass.) recorded two hits for the Bison (10-18, 5-11 CCC).

Sophomore Heather Fecteau (Biddeford, Maine) laced a two-run single in the first inning of game one to open the scoring, followed by an RBI single off the bat of Lavinio. Western New England tacked on one in the second, five in the fifth and one more in the sixth while, in the circle, sophomore Mickayla Keltos (South Shelton, Conn.) held the Bison to just two hits. She did not walk a batter and fanned three en route to her second win of the season. Freshman Meghan Sears (Tewksbury, Mass.) was tagged for eight hits and six runs (five earned) in 4.2 innings in defeat.

The Golden Bears struck for two in the first, two in the third, one in the fourth and three in the fifth inning of game two. Eckert plated a pair while Lavinio and freshman Corianna DeLisi (Tuxedo, N.Y.) also drove in runs. Sophomore Heidi Grieger (Hyde Park, N.Y.) held Nichols to two hits in four innings as she moved to 5-6 with the win. She did not walk a batter and struck out six. Sophomore Haley Fountain (Warren, Mass.) allowed five hits and six runs (two earned) in four innings as she fell to 7-12.

Nichols hosts Eastern Nazarene Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m. Prior to the start of the contest, the Bison will honor seniors Emalee Watkins (Malden, Mass.), Rebecca Palmarozza (Hamden, Conn.), and Rebecca Waszczuk (Chester, N.H.) for their contributions to the program. The Golden Bears travel to Hartford, Conn. for a pair of games at Trinity (CT) Tuesday beginning at 3:30 p.m.