Beverly, Mass. – The Nichols softball team knocked off No. 8 Gordon, 2-1, in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament, but their season ended with a 5-0 loss to No. 1 Endicott in the second game of the day. The Bison conclude their season with a 23-20-1 (9-9 CCC) record.
 
No. 4 Nichols 2, No. 8 Gordon 1
 
Despite the Bison having second and third with one out in the bottom of the second, the game remained scoreless as two groundouts ended the inning. After two quick outs in the bottom of the fourth, a walk to freshman Emma West-Testo followed by a single by Brianna Sulikowski set up runners on the corners. Freshman Ava Slavinksy came through with the clutch two-out single for the Bison, scoring West-Testo and putting Nichols up 1-0.
 
The Fighting Scots went down in order once again in the fifth, and the Bison continued to put pressure on Gordon in the bottom half of the inning. A one-out walk followed by a Mackenzie Jackson single put two runners on for the Bison. After a fielder choice, sophomore Chloe Steiniger laced a double in the left-center gap, scoring Emily Iannuccilli, and giving Nichols the 2-0 advantage. Gordon reached on a leadoff single to start the next inning, but three consecutive groundouts sent the game into the bottom of the sixth.
 
The Fighting Scots, down to their final three outs, put runners on second and third with one out. An infield single cut the Bison lead to one, but the next play, the runner on third was cut down at home trying to score on a groundball back to the pitcher, getting Nichols one out away from advancing. The next batter walked, loading the bases. With a 3-1 count and the tying run on third, the ball was popped up to second and runners interference was called, as the Bison staved off elimination.
 
Slavinsky led the attack on offense, picking up three hits and an RBI. Jackson added two hits of her own, while Steiniger finished 1-2 with a double, two walks, and an RBI. Starting pitcher Olivia Pedro tossed a complete game, surrendering seven hits, one earned run, and punching out three.
 
No. 1 Endicott 5, No. 4 Nichols 0
 
The Gulls wasted no time getting on the board in the first inning, as the second pitch of the game was sent over the fence in left-center to give Endicott the 1-0 lead. The next batter followed it up with a home run of her own as the back-to-back shots made it 2-0. The Gulls kept the pressure on, as a hit-by-pitch and a single, followed by two wild pitches brought another run home, making it 3-0 after one inning of play.
 
A leadoff double in the third later came around to score on an RBI single as the Gulls extended their lead to four. Endicott added another run in the fourth on a walk and a hit, making it a 5-0 game. The Bison put two runners on base in the fifth and the seventh but came away with nothing to show for as their season came to a close in the CCC tournament.
 
Freshman Allie Silliman and classmate Brianna Sulikowski had two hits apiece for the Bison in the loss. Senior Alyssa Ouellette came on in relief, throwing three innings, allowing just two hits and no runs while striking out three.