DUDLEY, Mass. (5/8/2025) – With their historic season on the line, the Nichols College softball team rose to the occasion, defeating Suffolk (4-0) and Roger Williams (4-2) to continue their postseason run and advance to the Conference of New England (CNE) semifinals on Saturday.
 
As the No. 2 seed in the tournament, the Bison earned hosting rights and welcomed three winner-takes-all matchups to Dudley.
 
The pair of victories push the Bison's program-record win total to 32 on the season.
 
Game 1: Nichols 4, Suffolk 0
A fourth-inning offensive surge was all the Bison needed, backed by a dominant pitching performance to shut out the Rams in the elimination contest. Senior pitcher Chelsea Indyk earned her fifth shutout of the season — setting a new single-season program record. Indyk (21-5) tossed a complete game, allowing six hits, striking out three, and issuing no walks.
 
The Bison bats came alive in the fourth. Sophomore right fielder Kyla Felicani opened the scoring with an RBI single to center, bringing home senior Chloe Steiniger, who reached after being hit by a pitch.
 
Freshman designated player Alyssa Pericello followed with a 2-RBI double, scoring senior Erin Gour and junior Allie Silliman. Junior leadoff hitter Ava Slavinsky added an insurance run with an infield single to shortstop, plating Felicani.
 
Strong defense and efficient pitching closed out the game for Nichols, eliminating Suffolk from the CNE tournament and ending the Rams' 2025 campaign.
 
The 4-0 win set up a rematch between the Bison and Roger Williams, who had just defeated Wentworth 4-0 in the earlier game in Dudley.
 
Game 2: Nichols 4, Roger Williams 2
Nichols jumped out early in the nightcap, as Silliman drove in Slavinsky with a double to left-center in the top of the first. The Hawks responded with a solo homer in the bottom half to tie the game.
 
From there, the Bison tacked on one run in each of the next three innings. Steiniger singled home a run in the third, Emma West-Testo brought in another with a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Gour drilled an RBI double through the left side in the fifth to make it 4-1.
 
Steiniger and Silliman recorded multi-hit games, while Slavinsky added a triple to her stat line.
 
Freshman Molly Medor got the start in the circle and delivered amazingly, allowing just two runs on six hits in a complete-game effort with two strikeouts, improving to 7-7 on the season.
 
Roger Williams sees its 2025 season come to a close with the loss.
 
With the win, Nichols advances to the CNE semifinal and will face No. 1 seed Endicott in Beverly on Saturday at 2 p.m.