CLERMONT, Fla. (3/9/2026) – On the second day of action in the Sunshine State, the Nichols softball team picked up another split with decisions against Hood College and Lake Forest College. The Bison first defeated Hood in dramatic fashion, erasing a five-run deficit late to win 9-8, before falling to Lake Forest, 5-1 in the closer.

The Bison move to 2-2 overall on the season, with splits on both days thus far.

Game #1: vs Hood College

Freshman infielder Sidney Hicks kicked things off with a free pass to first on a walk, before quickly advancing to second base via a steal. Mary Jo-Laudati worked her further around the bases with a ground-out to third, followed by another infield ground-out by Ava Slavinsky, plating the game's first run.

The second inning got off to a similar start as the first, this time with Bailey Littlefield opening with a lead-off walk and stealing second. Several batters later, and runners at first and second, Jo-Laudati returned for her second appearance at the plate and drove in Littlefield with an RBI base hit to center field, giving the Bison a 2-0 edge.

Hood got a run back in the bottom of the second inning to cut Nichols' lead in half, but didn't stop there as six more runs made their way home through the third and fourth innings, putting the Bison in a 7-2 hole entering the fifth.

Despite the challenge, the Bison refused to let the deficit hold them back. The fifth inning saw the Bison plate three runs to pull within two of the Blazers, beginning with a Hood fielding error that scored Jo-Laudati from third. The next was a sac-fly out to center by Riley Chartier, plating the second run of the frame, before freshman Madison Scribner brought home the third run with an infield base hit, earning her first collegiate RBI in her debut.

Hood managed one more run in the bottom of the fifth, but needed more insurance to halt what followed for the Bison. After a double to left field from Hicks, Slavinsky brought her home a second time with an RBI single up the middle, moments before moving up to second on a wild pitch. The Bison then saw Allie Silliman land on first with a four-pitch walk, leading to a Sydney Manzione RBI single to left to score Slavinsky, making it 8-7 Blazers. With Sam Lombardi and Peyton Blackinton on-base as pinch runners, Littlefield pushed across both the tying winning runs with a single to left, sealing the walk-off victory and completing a four-run surge to claim the 9–8 win. 

In the circle, senior Olivia Pedro (1-1) picked up the win in the effort with four runs allowed and four strikeouts through 4.2 innings of work, while sophomore Molly Medor earned the save in the final two innings, fanning three Hood batters.

Game #2: vs Lake Forest College

The two teams played through a defensive and scoreless opening frame, but the Foresters quickly gained control in the top of the second inning, plating three runs on two hits.

The defensive battle continued through a scoreless third and fourth inning, with the Foresters holding a 2-0 advantage in hits throughout. Then, in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Bison showed signs of life with a runner at third, when Manzione connected for an RBI double to left field, making it a three-run ballgame. However, before any more damage could be dealt, the Foresters escaped with the final out.

To wrap up the day, Lake Forest added two more runs split evenly between the sixth and seventh innings, completing the eventual 5-1 win over the Bison.
Medor (0-1) took the loss against the Foresters, but tossed a complete game with four strikeouts and seven hits allowed.

Softball will have the day off before returning to action on Wednesday, March 11^th against University of Mount Washington (5-7) at 9:00 AM, and Wesleyan University (0-0) at 11:30 AM.