SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Freshman
Kasey Ayer (Niantic, Conn.) went 4-for-6 with a home run and two RBI as the Nichols College softball team lost a pair of games at Western New England Monday afternoon in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at Golden Bear Park.
The Bison were shutout 2-0 in the opener before being edged in the nightcap 5-4. Freshman
Kendall Meehan (Danvers, Mass.) recorded the other Nichols RBI with a single in the sixth inning of game two. The Golden Bears moved to 11-4 with the wins (4-0 CCC).
WNE got the only run it needed in game one in the second inning on an RBI single off the bat of junior Alexis Bukowski (Wallingford, Conn.). The Golden Bears pushed across an unearned run in the fourth to double their lead.
Junior Heidi Grieger (Hyde Park, N.Y.) did the rest, scattering five hits over seven innings to earn the win. She walked a pair and struck out four to earn her sixth win of the season. Junior
Haley Fountain (Warren, Mass.) took the loss as she surrendered five hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out two in six innings.
In the nightcap, senior Lauren Zambrano (Wallingford, Conn.) fanned 16 in seven innings to move to 5-1 on the season. The Bison fell behind 3-0 on a home run from senior Samantha Mulhern (Worcester, Mass.) and RBI singles from sophomores Corianna DeLisi (Tuxedo, N.Y.) and Gabbie Lavinio (Dalton, Mass.).
Sophomore
Samantha DiReda (Shrewsbury, Mass.) scored an unearned run in the sixth to get the Bison on the board. Meehan's RBI single later in the frame plated freshman
Courtney Manarky (Amston, Conn.) to make it 3-2 before Ayer's two-run blast gave the Bison their first lead of the day at 4-3.
The Golden Bears regained the lead in the bottom of the frame when Lavinio scored two with a single up the middle to put the home team back in front, 5-4. Nichols saw its first two batters reach base in the top of the seventh before a line drive double-play ended the contest.
Meehan started game two for NC and allowed seven hits and four runs (two earned) in five innings before being lifted for Fountain, who took the loss by allowing an unearned run in her only inning of work.
Nichols plays at Curry Friday at 3 p.m. The Golden Bears host Wesleyan (CT) for a pair Tuesday at 3 p.m.