DUDLEY, Mass. (2/24/2025) – The Nichols College Bison softball team swept a non-conference doubleheader against the visiting UMass Boston Beacons on Thursday afternoon in Dudley. The Bison took game one, 8-1, before walking off game two with a 6-5 victory.

With the sweep, Nichols improves to 25-9 (10-4 CNE) on the season.
 
Game 1: Nichols 8, UMass Boston 1
The first inning featured a handful of defensive miscues, allowing both teams to get on the board. The Beacons struck first on a stolen base in the top of the inning. In the bottom half, the Bison responded in a big way. Senior Erin Gour delivered a two-RBI sacrifice fly to score classmate Chloe Steiniger and junior Ava Slavinsky. Later in the inning, junior Bailey Littlefield singled and rounded the bases on multiple Beacons errors, bringing herself and classmate Allie Silliman home to give Nichols a 4-1 lead.

That score held until the bottom of the third, when the Bison plated three more runs on two hits. One of those hits was Silliman's first home run of the season—a two-run shot to left field. Freshman designated player Alyssa Pericello later added an RBI single to score Gour, extending the lead to 7-1.

An RBI single from Silliman in the fifth sealed the 8-1 win for Nichols.

In the circle, senior pitcher Chelsea Indyk was stellar, striking out four and allowing no earned runs on the way to her 17th win of the season—a new single-season program record.
 
Game 2: Nichols 6, UMass Boston 5
Game two was scoreless until the third inning, when Silliman stayed hot with a two-RBI double to right field, putting Nichols up 2-0.

UMass Boston responded with three runs in the top of the fourth to take the lead. In the bottom half, a sacrifice fly from leadoff hitter Slavinsky tied the game at 3-3.

The Bison regained the lead in the fifth thanks to RBI singles from sophomores Kyla Felicani and Sydney Manzione, making it 5-3. That score stood until the top of the seventh, when the Beacons tied the game with a pair of runs.

In the bottom of the seventh, Littlefield reached on a fielder's choice, and Gour—already on base—capitalized on an errant throw by the Beacons' infielders to score the game-winning run, securing a 6-5 walk-off victory.

Freshman Molly Medor was solid in the circle, striking out four over six innings. Indyk returned in relief, tossing a perfect seventh to earn the win.
 
The Bison are back in action tomorrow with a quick turnaround, taking on conference opponent Suffolk in a doubleheader at 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at Briggs Field on the campus of MIT.