DUDLEY, Mass. (4/18/2025) – The Nichols College Bison and University of Hartford Hawks split their rescheduled Conference of New England doubleheader in Dudley on Friday afternoon. Hartford took game one by a score of 10-1, while Nichols bounced back in game two with a 3-2 victory.
With the split, Nichols moves to 21-7 overall and 9-3 in CNE play.
Game 1: Nichols 1, Hartford 10
Game one remained scoreless until the top of the fifth inning, when Hartford broke through with three runs on three hits to take a 3-0 lead. The Hawks added four more runs in the top of the sixth.
The Bison's lone run came when sophomore
Kyla Felicani hit a sacrifice fly to right field, allowing senior
Chloe Steiniger to score from third. That run would stand as the Bison's only one of the game.
Hartford tacked on three additional runs in the seventh to secure the 10-1 win.
In the circle, senior
Chelsea Indyk (14-3) took the loss. She struck out five batters over 5.1 innings of work. Sophomore
Ally McNamee came on in relief, pitching 1.2 innings and recording one strikeout.
Game 2: Nichols 3, Hartford 2
Game two began with both teams trading runs in the first inning. A Hartford RBI single scored one, but a relay from juniors
Riley Chartier and
Bailey Littlefield nailed a trailing runner at the plate, keeping the score at 1-0.
In the bottom of the first, Steiniger tripled to right field, driving in Chartier to tie the game. Hartford briefly regained the lead in the second, but Steiniger struck again in the third with a double to right-center, once again bringing home Chartier to even the score at 2-2.
The tie held until the bottom of the seventh, when junior
Ava Slavinsky delivered a walk-off single down the right-field line, scoring pinch-runner Mary Jo Laudati and giving Nichols the 3-2 win.
Freshman pitcher
Molly Medor was outstanding for the Bison, throwing a complete game. She struck out five and allowed just two earned runs over seven innings.
Nichols will look to carry this momentum into their next matchup, a road doubleheader against CNE opponent Endicott on Saturday, April 19. First pitch is set for 12 PM in Beverly, Massachusetts.
