LEICESTER, Mass.- Becker College fell to Nichols College 9-3 in non-conference baseball action Sunday afternoon at the New England Baseball Complex. The win evens the Bison record to 1-1 while the Hawks slide to 1-2.
Nichols jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second. After Nick Roy (Middletown, Conn.) led off the inning with a double to right field and Tim Ford (Stafford Spring, Conn.) reached on a bunt single, Greg Eng (Middletown, R.I.) hit an RBI single to plate Roy with the first run. Brendan Martin (Nashua, N.H.) would follow with an RBI single through the right side to give the Bison the 2-0 lead.
Becker would cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the second with a Tanyon Ventres (Holden, Mass.) RBI single, scoring T.J. Sempkowski (Oceanport, N.J.) with the Hawks first run.
The Hawks tied the game in the bottom of the third when Josiah Shepherd (Providence, R.I.) manufactured his own run. After a leadoff single and back-to-back stolen bases, Shepherd eventually made his way home on a wild pitch.
The excitement was short lived for the Hawks as the Bison responded with three runs in the top of the fourth. Brendan Martin would reach on an error to start the inning. After Martin stole second, Joe Assenza (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) laid down sacrifice bunt, but the throw to first was misplayed allowing Martin to scamper home with third run for the Bison. Spencer Madden (Nashua, N.H.) would drive in Assenza with a two out single to left to make the score 4-2. After Madden stole second, Ross Caswell (Randolph, Vt.) capped the inning with an RBI single to right.
The Bison would add to their lead in the top of the fifth when Brendan Martin laid down a safety squeeze, scoring Tim Ford from third to make the score 6-2.
The Hawks had a chance to get back in the game in the bottom of the fifth when they loaded the bases with nobody out. Nichols starting pitcher Joseph Nicolace (Cranston, R.I.) minimized the damage, allowing just one run on a sacrifice fly from Christopher Testa (Providence, R.I.) to keep the Bison in front with a 6-3 advantage.
Nichols would put the game out of reach in top of the sixth when Tim Ford drove in a pair of runs with single to left center, scoring Nick Roy and Ross Caswell to put the Bison up 8-3.
Tim Ford would single home Nick Roy in the top of the eighth to make the final 9-3. Ford finished that game going four for five with 3 RBI and two runs scored. Nick Roy chipped in with a three for five day with three runs scored.
Tanyon Ventres and Kevin Perez (Jersey City, N.J.) were the lone Hawks with multiple hits.
Joseph Nicolace earned the win after tossing the first five innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out four. Adam Rigney (Niantic, Conn.) earned the save after giving the Bison four innings of scoreless relief.
Freshman Michael Bovenzi (Shirley, N.Y.) suffered the loss after allowing three unearned runs in two innings of work.
Nichols returns to action on Friday, March 11th with a doubleheader against Ohio Wesleyan at 11:00 a.m. in Port Charlotte, Florida. Becker will begin the New England Collegiate Conference portion of their schedule on Saturday, March 12th when they play a double dip against Daniel Webster in Leesburg, Florida beginning at 11:00 a.m.
