BIDDEFORD, Maine – Junior Haley Fountain (Warren, Mass.), sophomore Christina Drake (Lebanon, N.H.), and freshman Kendall Meehan (Danvers, Mass.) each drove in a run as the Nichols College softball team dropped a doubleheader at the University of New England Friday afternoon at Claude Dubois Field.  
 
The Nor'easters pounded out 28 hits on the way to wins of 13-4 (six innings) and 8-0 (five innings) to improve to 11-8 overall and 5-1 in the conference. The Bison – who saw their first action since a pair of games at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic in Florida back on March 18 – slipped to 4-8 overall (0-2 CCC).
 
UNE's offensive efforts were led by Adrienne Chase (Holden, Mass.), Kelly Murphy (Cromwell, Conn.), and Amanda Vallante (Dracut, Mass.), who each had four hits on the day, while Chase added seven RBI and Vallante scored five times. Murphy also drove in three runs and touched home plate on three occasions, while posting her team-leading eighth and ninth multiple-hit performance. Abby Lambert (Brockton, Mass.) and Katelyn Austin (Bethlehem, N.H.) worked in the UNE circle to get the positive decisions.
 
The Nor'easters – who played as the visiting team as the games were originally scheduled to take place at Nichols – wasted little time getting on the board first in the opener, when Chase singled down the line in left to score both Sydney Helmbrecht (Grand Rapids, Minn.) and Vallante. UNE added three more with two down in the third, which included RBI-singles by Murphy and Meghan Bolano (Wakefield, R.I.).
 
The Bison responded with three runs in the bottom of the stanza, all with two outs as Meehan, Drake, and Fountain each had run-producing hits. NC threatened to get closer when a walk loaded the bases, but the inning ended on the next play with a groundout.
 
UNE had increased the cushion to 7-3 entering the sixth frame, and plated six runs to take full control of the contest. The Nor'easters had six hits and took advantage of a couple errors and a wild pitch to keep the inning going. Nichols got one back in its half of the frame off of relief pitcher Sara Pelkey (Fitzwilliam, N.H.), but could not extend the game any further.
 
Bolano and Paige Moore-Haskell (Scarborough, Maine) each tallied three hits in the game for UNE, while Lambert struck out five over five innings to level her record at 4-4. Meehan finished with three hits and freshman Courtney Manarky (Amston, Conn.) notched a pair for the Bison. Fountain took the pitching setback, surrendering seven earned runs.
 
The Nor'easters carried the momentum from the opener into the nightcap, plating three runs in the top of the first on a double by Vallante, a single from Chase, and a single by Austin. Chase and Murphy converted with two out and runners in scoring position again in the second, and UNE failed to tack on more as the bases were left full.
 
It was 6-0 before Chase clubbed a double into the gap in left-center during the top of the fifth, scoring Karyn Svarczkopf (Essex Junction, Vt.) and Pelkey, who started the inning was singles to left field. Austin (5-3), meanwhile, wrapped up her fourth win in as many outings since returning from Florida, and the shutout was her second in that stretch. She struck out three and allowed just three hits along with a pair of walks over the five innings.
 
Meehan, who took the loss in the circle for Nichols, logged two of hits for the Bison.
 
Nichols plays at Western New England Monday at 3 p.m. UNE hosts Salve Regina Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Contributions from UNE Sports Information