BIDDEFORD, Maine – The Nichols College softball team suffered a pair of Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) losses at the University of New England Saturday afternoon action at Claude DuBois Field.
 
Game One: UNE 5, Nichols 0
Senior Kelly Murphy (Cromwell, Conn.) drove in two runs with a first-inning single and the Nor'easters recorded 10 hits in the win. Classmate Amanda Vallante (Dracut, Mass.) finished with three hits and an RBI for UNE.
 
Junior Christina Drake (Lebanon, N.H.) had two hits for the Bison, who saw senior Haley Fountain (Warren, Mass.) tagged for 10 hits and five runs in six innings to fall to 4-4. She walked three and struck out four.
 
Senior Abby Lambert (Brockton, Mass.) surrendered three hits and struck out six over six innings to move to 5-2. She did not walk a batter.
 
Game Two: UNE 5, Nichols 2
Drake and freshman Zoe Chevrette (Wilbraham, Mass.) each drove in a run for the Bison. Junior Meghan Sears (Tewksbury, Mass.) started in the circle and was tagged for 10 hits and five runs in four innings.
 
Junior Sydney Helmbrecht (Grand Rapids, Minn.) went 2-for-2 with three RBI for the Nor'easters. She had a two-run single in the bottom of the second and a sac fly in the fourth.
 
The Bison trailed 3-0 after three before Chevrette's RBI single in the fourth plated Drake and made it 3-1. UNE put up a '2' spot in its half of the frame to extend its lead to 5-1. Drake singled in freshman Callie Andrews (Southbridge, Mass.) in the sixth to make it 5-2.
 
Junior Katelyn Austin (Bethlehem, N.H) scattered six hits and two runs in six innings of work to pick up the win. She did not walk a batter and struck out six.
 
All-Time Series
Today's games marked the 38th and 39th all-time meetings between Nichols College and the University of New England. With today's sweep, the Nor'easters ran their win streak to seven and now lead the series, 23-16.
 
Next Games
Nichols (10-12, 4-6 CCC) – Sunday, April 17 @ Wentworth, 12:00 p.m.
UNE (19-7, 10-3 CCC) – Sunday, April 17 @ Southern Me., 12:00 p.m.