CLERMONT, Fla. (3/13/2026) – The Nichols softball team wrapped up competition in central Florida on Friday, splitting their final pair of contests. The Bison opened with a 7-0 shutout of Thomas College (ME), before falling to close-to-home foe Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 7-3 to finish the trip.

Nichols returns home to The Hill with a 4-6 overall record.

Game #1: vs Thomas College (ME)

Freshman Sidney Hicks continued to showcase her speed in the leadoff spot, beginning with a infield single off a bunt. From there, the Bison infielder stole both second and third base, before sneaking home on the throw from a Ava Slavinsky ground-out to short, giving the Bison the early 1-0 edge.

After holding the Terriers scoreless through the first and second innings, the Bison tacked on their second run of the game on an RBI double to deep center field by Allie Silliman with two outs. With the 2-0 lead in hand, the Bison defense continued to hold the Terriers off the scoreboard through the fourth and fifth innings, despite Thomas holding a 2-0 edge in hits.

Nichols increased its lead in the top of the sixth inning on a Thomas fielding error that scored two runs, with Madison Scribner making contact to set up the play. It didn't end there, as the Bison added a fifth run on a second Thomas error, this time off the bat of Riley Chartier, that scored Scribner from second base. Nichols then closed out the scoring with two more runs in the seventh, both of which were scored on RBI singles from Scribner and Kyla Felicani. The Bison then retired the final three Thomas batters in quick succession, completing the shutout.

Scribner was 1-for-3 at the plate with three RBI in total, while Silliman went 3-for-4, topping a list of six Bison with a hit. In total, Nichols out-hit the Terriors by a lopsided 10-3 margin, while both teams had two errors in the game.

In the circle, senior Olivia Pedro (4-2) tossed her second complete game of the season, striking out two batters, with the win being her fifth career shutout.

Game #2: vs Worcester Polytechnic Institute

After a quiet start to the action with neither side scoring in the first inning, WPI took control of the game in the second inning after five runs came across. With two runners on, the scoring started with an RBI single to center field, while a Bison error on the play plated a bonus run for the Engineers to give them a 2-0 lead.

Another RBI single soon followed to make it 3-0 Engineers, moments before a second defensive miscue added two more runs to the board, giving the visitors a comfortable 5-0 advantage. The Bison sliced into the deficit in the bottom of the third, thanks to a sac-fly out to center field by sophomore Samantha Lombardi. However, the Engineers would plate two insurance runs in the top of the fourth inning, forcing Nichols to battle from behind the rest of the way through.

Nonetheless, the Bison didn't go down without a fight, as individual runs crossed home plate in the bottom halves of the fifth and sixth frames, with the first scoring as a result of a WPI wild pitch, and the second scoring on a fielding error.

Even with the late push, the WPI lead proved too much for the Bison to overcome, resulting in the 7-3 loss to close out the trip.

Hicks, Felicani and senior Bailey Littlefield led Nichols by all going 2-for-3 at the plate. For Littlefield, the pair of hits held a more significant meaning, with the number bringing her career total to 100 hits. Sophomore pitcher Molly Medor (0-4) took the loss in the closer, putting in a full seven innings of work with three strikeouts, allowing five earned runs on six hits.

Softball will have a brief break before hosting Suffolk University (6-6) for their home and conference opener next Saturday, March 12^th. Game times for the CNE twin bill are set for 12:00 and 2:00 PM at the Nichols Softball Field.