PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Freshmen Jayda Cesar and Mackenzie Jackson each drove in two runs in their collegiate debuts for the Nichols College softball team, which dropped a pair of games to Johnson & Wales (RI) University Saturday afternoon at the SMAC Softball Field.

Game One – Wildcats 4, Bison1

Graduate student Taylor Commesso plated senior Colleen Callahan with a sac fly in the first to account for the NC run. Junior Candice Nelson started in the circle for the Bison and surrendered seven hits and four runs (one earned) over six innings. She did not walk a batter and fanned five. Sophomore Allie Brown and freshman Hailey Bogusz each notched a hit for the Bison.

Game Two – Wildcats 7, Bison 6

Nichols fell behind 4-0 after three before tying the game in the fourth on an RBI single off the bat of Jackson, an infield single from Cesar, and back-to-back run-scoring doubles from sophomore Jessica Botelho and Brown. Later, after the Wildcats pushed across three runs in the fifth to move ahead 7-4, RBI singles from Jackson and Cesar in the seventh cut the NC deficit to one before the final out was made with the tying run on third.

Nelson allowed five hits and four runs (three earned) in three innings before being lifted for sophomore Alyssa Ouellette, who was tagged for five hits and three runs ion 1.2 innings of work. Both stuck out a pair of batters.