MIDDLETOWN, CONN. – After two rainouts earlier in the week, the Nichols baseball team finally returned to action on Wednesday afternoon, dropping a non-conference decision to Wesleyan, 15-10 in eight innings. With the result, the Bison fall to 15-21 (9-5 CCC) on the season, while Wesleyan improves to 16-17 (7-5 NESCAC).
Nichols came out swinging in the top of the first, as
Ben Jerome led off the game with a double.
Johnny Knox followed up Jerome with a base hit of his own, advancing to second on the throw before
Brennan Hyde scored both to make it 2-0. The hit parade continued as
Will Kleinhenz doubled to center field, scoring Hyde.
Jim Marasco joined the party, ripping a triple to center field to score Kleinhenz and make it a 4-0 game. Marasco would later come around to score on a
Brad Ellis base hit to give Nichols a five-run lead after the first.
The Bison continued their offensive output in the second inning, picking up two more runs, both on a wild pitch. The Cardinals began to chip away in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three runs on four hits, including a two-run home run. Wesleyan struck again in the third, adding their fourth run of the game on an RBI double. The back-and-forth continued in the top of the fourth, as Nichols picked up two more runs on wild pitches to extend their lead to five.
Four hits led to two runs for the Cardinals in the bottom of the fifth, and after a 1-2-3 top half of the sixth, Wesleyan stormed back to take the lead with five runs on four hits, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch. After a scoreless seventh inning, the Bison got a run back in the eighth on an RBI single from Knox, cutting the Wesleyan lead to one. However, the Cardinals responded with four more runs of their own in the bottom of the inning to extend their lead to five.
Nichols scored five runs in the top of the ninth to tie the score at 15, but after the third out in the top of the ninth, the game was called due to darkness. Per NCAA rules, the score reverts to the last fully completed inning, meaning Wesleyan takes the win 15-10 in eight innings.
Jerome, Knox, and Hyde led the offense from the top of the order, with each picking up multiple hits on the day. Kleinhenz added a hit of his own as well as three walks and an RBI. The Nichols offense banged out 12 hits, three extra-base hits, and six walks in the loss.
The Bison are set to square off in a doubleheader against Salve Regina on Friday, May 5 in their Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) regular-season finale. Game one is slated to begin at 12:00 p.m.
