MILTON, Mass. (4/14/24) – After taking a 1-0 loss to open the afternoon, the Nichols College softball team avoided a sweep at Curry College on Sunday afternoon, winning the second game of the conference twin bill, 4-2.

Nichols now stands at 13-11 (7-3 CCC) overall, while Curry shifts to 11-15 (2-8 CCC).

Sophomore infielder Ava Slavinsky had the best day at the plate for the Bison, going 3-for-7 (.429) with one stolen base. All four of the game two runs originated from different players, with sophomores Emily Iannuccilli and Allie Silliman, as well as freshman Kyla Felicani and Sydney Manzione each recording plating a run. For Manzione, it was the first RBI of her collegiate career.

Game #1

The Bison struggled to get runners on base through the first three innings of play and didn't see their first hit until the top of the fourth inning on a Slavinsky base hit to right. The top of the fifth inning then saw the Bison put runners on first and second with one out behind another single from Erin Gour and a walk to Bailey Littlefield. Unfortunately, no runs came from the situation and the game remained scoreless.

Curry broke the scoreless tie in the home half of the sixth, scoring the lead runner from second on an RBI single up the middle with two outs. The Colonels then retired the Bison in the top half of the seventh, completing the shutout victory. 

Chelsea Indyk (7-3) came out on the losing end of the pitchers' duel, despite an otherwise strong performance. The junior right-hander spun 6.0 innings, allowing one unearned run on six hits with four strikeouts.

Game #2

Things fared better for the Bison in the second game of the Curry doubleheader. Nichols opened the scoring in the top of the first inning when freshman Manzione walked in a run with the bases loaded, giving the Bison the early 1-0 advantage. Nichols went right back to work in the top of the second inning, as senior Lilly Fangel rounded third on an RBI single to center by Iannuccilli, making it 2-0. Felicani then delivered Iannuccilli home with an RBI sac-fly, just before Silliman tacked on another run with an RBI double, which scored Slavinsky to make it a 4-0 ballgame.

The Colonels were retired in order through both the second and third innings, but eventually made their way onto the score sheet with an RBI ground-out in the fourth inning, cutting the deficit to 4-1. Curry then pulled to within two runs in the fifth inning after connecting for an RBI double down the left field line, bringing the score to 4-2 Bison. 

Nichols maintained its 4-2 advantage for the remainder of the game, silencing the Colonel bats through the final two innings.  

Sophomore Olivia Pedro (3-5) earned her second win in as many days and held Curry to just two runs on five hits, along with a pair of strikeouts. Freshman Ally McNamee assisted in the effort, while fellow freshman Cassidy Machado finished out the remaining two innings, striking out two.

Softball takes on Clark University in a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 16^th at O'Brien Softball Field. The first of the two games begins at 3:00 PM.