DUDLEY, Mass. – Sophomore Kendall Meehan (Danvers, Mass.) belted a pair of home runs to help the Nichols College softball team earn a split of its doubleheader with Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) rival Eastern Nazarene College Friday afternoon at the Nichols Softball Field.
 
Game One: Eastern Nazarene 15, Nichols 9
Freshman Lauren Clements (Garrison, Texas) went 3-for-5 with two home runs and six RBI as the Lions outslugged the Bison in the opener. Classmate Lauren Weidler (Lansdale, Pa.) also hit a pair of solo shots and finished 3-for-5 while freshmen Becky Bahr (Brentwood, N.Y.) and Viviana Coix (Warrenville, Ill.) each posted three hits.
 
Junior Jade Palladino (Lynnfield, Mass.) smacked her first collegiate home run in the sixth for Nichols, a two-run shot that cleared the centerfield fence. Meehan also went deep in the bottom of the first while sophomore Kasey Ayer (Niantic, Conn.) was 3-for-3 and junior Christina Drake (Lebanon, N.H.) drove in a pair.
 
The game was tied at three in sixth when the Lions exploded for nine runs with two outs, with the big blow coming off the bat of Clements, who hit a grand slam that put her team in front 9-3. Weidler followed with a home run to center, the fourth of the afternoon for the visitors.
 
Nichols put up a 'four' spot in its half of the inning as Palladino homered, Ayer singled in Meehan, and senior Haley Fountain (Warren, R.I.) brought in one on an infield groundout. Clements responded with her second round tripper of the game in the top of the seventh.
 
Fountain allowed 10 hits and eight runs in six innings of work and took the loss. Sophomore Heidi Gomez (Floral Park, N.Y.) surrendered 11 hits and nine runs (eight earned) over seven to get the win, her fifth of the season. She walked a pair and struck out two.
 
Game Two: Nichols 5, Eastern Nazarene 4  
Nichols trailed 4-0 entering the fourth before a three-run home run off the bat of Ayer brought it to within one at 4-3. In the fifth, Meehan turned on a pitch and drove it far beyond the left field fence to put the Bison in front for the first time on the afternoon, 5-4.
 
Junior Meghan Sears (Tewksbury, Mass.) tossed seven innings of nine-hit ball to pick up her second win of the season. She allowed four runs over seven with no walks and three strikeouts. Weidler took the loss for the Lions and she was tagged for seven hits and five runs over six innings. She walked one and fanned seven to fall to 2-4.
 
Meehan and Ayer each finished with two hits while junior Kaitlyn Jimenez (Meriden, Conn.) was 3-for-3 with an RBI for Eastern Nazarene.
 
All-Time Series
Today's games marked the 47th and 48th all-time meetings between Eastern Nazarene College and Nichols College. The Bison have won three of the last four and now lead the series, 36-9-1.
 
Quotes
"After losing the first game, we wanted to support Meg (Sears) and bounce back with a win. We have been working really hard during practice this week and did not want to get swept at home." – Meehan, on the importance of winning game two
 
"It was a hitter's count. I knew she wasn't going to throw me anything off the plate. It was going to be right over the middle. I just sat back and waited, and crushed it." – Meehan, on her two-run home run in game two
 
"Winning the second game was huge. We needed at least one conference win heading into the weekend. The team that played against Western New England last week and the team that played today are completely different. This is the team that we know we have. Even when we were down in the first game, our spirits stayed up. We fought back. We didn't come away with a 'W', but I knew the second game would be a lot closer based upon the way Meg has been pitching lately." – Nichols head coach Heather Korzec
 
"We made a few adjustments with things on the field and how Kasey was catching the ball. Meg pitched phenomenally today and the offense piggybacked what she was doing in the circle." – Korzec, on the difference from games one to two.
 
Next Games
Nichols (6-8, 1-3 CCC) – Saturday, April 9 vs Roger Williams (DH), 12:00 p.m.
Eastern Nazarene (7-11, 2-2 CCC) – Saturday, April 2 vs Western New Eng. (DH), 1:00 p.m.