Fitchburg State Drops Pair To Nichols

Falcons suffer 12-2 setback in game one; Edged 5-4 in the nightcap

FITCHBURG, Mass. – The Fitchburg State University softball team dropped a pair of games to the Bison of Nichols College in non-conference action at the Donna-Lee Withington Memorial Softball Field this afternoon.

Nichols 12, Fitchburg State 2 (Game 1)

In the opening contest, Nichols jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the second as junior Meghan Sears singled, moved to second on a base hit by sophomore Callie Andrews before sophomore Kendall Meehan plated Sears with single to center, while junior Christine Drake laced a two-out, two-run single for the 3-0 advantage.

The Falcons cut into the deficit, scoring runs in the bottom of the fourth and fifth frames when freshman Samantha Holey drew a bases loaded walk that scored classmate Damari Grossi, while senior Tori Cyrus singled in classmate Marissa Gemma to make the score 4-2.

The Bison put the game out of reach however in the top of the seventh, tacking on seven runs on six hits. Freshman Zoe Chevrette and junior Jade Palladino notched run scoring singles, while Sears added a two-run base hit in the frame, resulting in the 12-2 final.

Fitchburg State was sophomore Emily Comtois, who finished 2-for-4 on the afternoon, while Cyrus added a pair of hits as well for the Falcons. For Nichols, Drake hit 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and three RBI, while Sears went 3-for-5, including two RBI and a pair of runs scored.

In the circle, newcomer Kaylee Sylvestre took the loss, yielding five earned runs on 15 hits with three K's in 6.1 innings of work for Fitchburg State, while senior Haley Fountain picked up the win for the Bison, giving up two unearned runs on seven hits and three strikeouts in the complete game effort.

Nichols 5, Fitchburg State 4 (Game 2)

In game two, Comtois led the way again offensively for the Falcons, going 2-for-3 with a run scored and two doubles, while senior Brianna Uga and newcomer Hayley McCarthy combined for four hits, one run scored and four RBI. For the Bison, Meehan batted a perfect 4-for-4, including a double and three runs scored, while Drake added a pair of hits, one RBI and a run scored.

On the bump, junior Galen Kerr suffered the setback, allowing five runs (3 earned) on eight hits and six strikeouts in the complete game effort for the Falcons, while Sears collected the win, giving up four runs (3 earned) on ten hits with four K's in seven innings of work.

With the score deadlocked at 4-4 going into the seventh, Nichols scratched across the eventual winning run when Meehan doubled to left, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a base hit off the bat of Chevrette, resulting in the 5-4 game two final.

The Bison opened the scoring in the top of the first as Meehan singled, advanced to second and third on a fielding miscue and scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Fountain before sophomore Kasey Ayer plated Drake with a sacrifice fly to center for the 2-0 margin.

Nichols doubled its lead (4-0) in the top of the fourth when Palladino singled, advanced to second on a base knock from Meehan, while Drake laced a run scoring single to left to score Palladino before Meehan came around to score on a fielding miscue.

The Falcons responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the fourth as Comtois doubled, moved to third on a single by Holey, while Uga singled home Comtois and McCarthy plated Holey to make the score 4-2.

The Green and Gold knotted the score (4-4) in the bottom of the sixth frame when Comtois laced her second double of the contest before Uga drove in pinch runner Samantha Woodman with a single to left, while McCarthy singled home Uga later in the stanza.

Fitchburg State (15-13, 5-3 MASCAC) will be back in action on Saturday as it travels to Westfield State for a double header, starting at 12 p.m. Nichols (14-14, 6-6 CCC) will visit Gordon College on Saturday for a twin-billing for a 1 pm start.

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