Seahawks, Bison split a CCC pair

DUDLEY, Mass. – Senior Rebecca Palmarozza (Hamden, Conn.) went 4-for-5 with 2 RBI in Nichols College's doubleheader split with Salve Regina University Saturday afternoon in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) softball action. The Bison won game one, 7-6, before dropping game two, 13-2, in five innings.

Freshmen Christina Drake (Lebanon, N.H.) and Meghan Sears (Tewksbury, Mass.) each belted their first collegiate home runs as the Bison moved to 6-8 with the split (1-1 CCC). Drake hit a solo shot to left center in the opener before Sears launched one over the fence in left-center in the fourth inning of the second game.

The Bison broke a scoreless tie with two in the fourth and one in the fifth of game one to take a 3-0- lead. Drake laced a one-out double and scored on a single by Sears through the right side. Later in the frame, Palmarozza singled home sophomore Alexa Polverari (Branford, Conn.) to double the lead. Drake's round-tripper the following inning came with two outs.

The Seahawks (8-10, 6-2 CCC) responded with five in the top of the sixth to move in front 5-3. Senior Jenna Edine (Warwick, R.I.) opened the inning with a solo shot to right center. Run-scoring doubles by freshmen Kara O'Riley (Acton, Mass.) and Lexi Soucie (North Easton, Mass.) bookended a two-run home run off the bat of senior Sara Nelson (Bristol, R.I.).

Freshman Christina Barrows (Carver, Mass.) led off the seventh with a triple and came in on a sac fly from sophomore Jordan D'Aurio (Northford, Conn.) to bring Nichols to within a run at 5-4. A walk to junior Avery Orszulak (Springfield, Mass.) and a single by sophomore starting pitcher Haley Fountain (Warren, Mass.) put runners on first and second before Sears reached on an error to load the bases. Senior Emalee Watkins (Malden, Mass.) then reached on a fielders choice, which allowed Orszulak to score the tying run from third. Palmarozza followed with a four-pitch walk to bring in the winning run.

Fountain allowed nine hits and five earned runs in seven innings of work en route to earning her fourth win of the season. She walked none and fanned five. Sophomore Nicole Parry (Quincy, Mass.) slipped to 4-3 with the loss as she surrendered nine hits and six runs (four earned) in 6.2 IP. She walked three and struck out nine.

Salve Regina jumped all over Fountain in the second game, scoring three in the first and third to chase her from the game. Soucie led off the game with a homer to center, followed by a two-run blast off the bat of O'Riley. In the third, sophomore Genevieve Benoit (Swampscott, Mass.) ripped a two-run triple that gave the Seahawks a 5-0 lead before O'Riley's RBI double made it 6-0. SRU put up a '5' spot in the fourth – highlighted by a three-run home run from O'Riley – and two more in the fifth.

O'Riley finished game two 4-for-4 with six RBI and a pair of runs scored while Benoit went 2-for-3 with four RBI and three runs scored. Sears accounted for the only Nichols runs.

Sophomore Dominique Burnham (Scarborough, Maine) scattered four hits and allowed two runs while striking out three in five innings to earn her third win of 2014. Fountain was tagged for six earned runs on six hits in two-plus innings to fall to 4-6.

The Bison travel to Beverly, Mass. Sunday afternoon for a noon doubleheader with Endicott. The Seahawks play a pair at Gordon Monday at 3 p.m.