WELLESLEY, Mass. – The Nichols softball team picked up its third win of the season in game one of a doubleheader at Wellesley on Wednesday afternoon before the second game ended in a 3-3 tie. With the results, Nichols improved its record to 3-8-1 (0-0-0 CCC), while Wellesley fell to 0-3-1 (0-0-0 NEWMAC).
 
Nichols 8, Wellesley 2
 
The Bison got on the board in the first inning as Allie Brown singled and Bailey Littlefield worked a walk to set up first and second with one out. Allie Silliman grounded a ball to the second baseman who threw it into left field looking to get the force out, causing Brown to score. Wellesley got two strikeouts to end the inning and escape further damage. The Pioneers answered back in the bottom of the third, pushing across two runs on three hits to take a 2-1 lead.
 
The Bison regained the lead and then some in the fourth, as an error, a hit by pitch, and a passed ball set up an Erin Gour RBI single that tied the game at two. Emily Iannuccilli knocked in Emma West-Testo on a sac fly to make it 3-2 before Brown and Littlefield cleared the bases with a single and a double, respectively, to extend the lead to 6-2. The Bison added some insurance runs in the seventh on a Mackenzie Jackson RBI single and a West-Testo RBI groundout to make it 8-2. Senior Alyssa Ouellette slammed the door with a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh inning to secure the win for the Bison.
 
Brown and Gour each picked up a pair of hits, while Littlefield was on base three times and batted in two runs. Starter Olivia Pedro went three full innings, surrendering two runs before handing the ball over to Ouellette who threw four shutout innings of two-hit ball.
 
Nichols 3, Wellesley 3
 
Wellesley struck first in game two, scoring on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the first inning to make it 1-0. After a scoreless second inning, Nichols loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the third. Silliman worked a walk to briefly even the score before Gour gave the Bison the lead with a base knock to left. Nichols picked up another run in the inning on an Ava Slavinsky sac fly to extend their lead to 3-1.
 
The Pioneers responded in the bottom of the inning when Emeline Gounce drove in Lauren Young with a two-out double to cut the Bison lead in half. The score remained 3-2 until the bottom of the seventh when Wellesley, down to their final three outs, tied the game up on a walk, a sac bunt, and a sac fly. The game was called after the seventh inning due to darkness, ending in a 3-3 tie.
 
Littlefield had a big game at the plate for the Bison, racking up three hits in four at-bats. Starting pitcher Chelsea Indyk went 2.2 innings for the Bison, giving up two runs (one earned), and striking out two. Laney Martin and Ouellette combined for 4.1 innings and one run to finish the game.
 
The Bison return to the field on Wednesday, March 29 for the home opener against Mitchell. The first pitch is slated for 2:30 p.m.