Bison tame AMCATS in doubleheader sweep

PAXTON, Mass – (04.09.11) Senior pitcher Lindsay Hassett (Oxford, Mass.) got the win in relief in game one, and went the distance in game two to lead the Bison of Nichols College to a The Commonwealth Coast Conference sweep over the AMCATS of Anna Maria on beautiful Saturday afternoon in Paxton. The Bison scored the winning run in the seventh inning to take the 10-9 victory in game one, and completed the sweep with a 3-2 victory in the night cap. The Bison improve to 13-10 overall and an impressive 9-3 in the TCCC, while the AMCATS fall to 9-13 overall and 2-8 in conference play.

Game One

The Bison jumped on the board early in game one when Emalee Watkins (Malden, Mass.) doubled in Barbara Roy (Springfield, Mass.), who led off the game with a walk, to give the Bison a 1-0 lead.

The AMCATS answered in the bottom half of the inning when Tabitha Ruggeri (Strubridge, Mass.) doubled to left to bring in Mary Moroski (Worcester, Mass.) with the tying run.

In the second inning, the Bison put up two runs by taking advantage of two AMCAT errors and some wild pitching to grab a 3-1 lead.

It appeared the Bison had put the game out of reach after the third inning when they put six runs on the board to build a 9-1 advantage. The Bison took advantage of six walks and two errors in the frame, while Watkins drove in two after stroking her second double of the game.

However, the AMCATS did not go down without a fight, rallying for eight runs in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 9-all. Dominique Marchand (Mendon, Mass.) led off the inning with a double down the left field line, before Samantha Putis (Charlton, Mass.) followed with her second home run of the year, cutting the deficit to 9-3. After a single by Emily Nugent (Worcester, Mass.), Sarah Boyda(oxford, Mass.) doubled, and Moroski singled to load the bases. Jill Hurley kept the rally going with a two-run single and all of a sudden it was 9-5. After an error allowed another run to score, Kayla Cummings (Auburn, Maine) delivered an RBI-single to make it a 9-7 game. In her second at bat of the inning Marchand hit a sac fly to bring the AMCATS within one, before Putis, who homered earlier in the inning, tied the game at nine with a run scoring single to center field.

Despite the overwhelming momentum of Anna Maria, the Bison managed to scratch across the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh. Lauren Correia (Seekonk, Mass.) led off the inning with a single and was replaced by pinch runner Ashley McCool (Pepperell, Mass.), who promptly stole second, and advanced to third on a groundout. Watkins then drove in McCool with what turned out to be the game-winning run on a ground out to give the bison the exciting 10-9 win.

Hassett got the win on the mound for NC with 2 1/3 innings of shutout relief. Offensively, the Bison were led by Watkins who was 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and four runs batted in, while Lauren Correia reached base four times and set up the winning run.

 The AMCATS were led offensively by Sarah Boyda (Oxford, Mass.) who had three hits and a run scored. Putis and Nugent also chipped in with two hits apiece, while Nicole Hackenson (Mendon, Mass.) took the loss on the mound.

Game Two

Game two featured a solid pitching performance between Hassett of the Bison and Michelle Blackler (Ashland, Mass.) of the AMCATS.

Anna Maria got on the board in the bottom of the first when Boyda led off the game with a double, moved to third on a sac bunt, and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch to give the AMCATS an early 1-0 lead.

The Bison answered back in the top of the second when Savannah Thibault (Marlborough, Mass.) led off with a walk and a steal. A single by Laura Correia moved Thibault to third, who then scored on a wild pitch to tie the game 1-1.

The Bison then took the lead by scoring an unearned run in both the third and fifth innings.

The AMCATS clawed back with a run in the sixth when Moroski led off with a double, moved to third on a fly out, and came home on a sac fly by Ruggeri to cut the lead to 3-2 .

However, that was all the AMCATS could muster against Hassett who struck out six while going the distance for the 3-2 victory.

The Bison were led offensively by Barbara Roy (Springfield, Mass.) who had a hit and two runs scored, while Thibault was 1-for-2 with one run scored.

The AMCATS were led by Ruggeri and Nugent who collected two hits each. Blackler took the tough-luck loss on the mound for the AMCATS despite allowing only one earned run in a complete game effort.

The Bison return to action Sunday when they face New England College at home in a TCCC doubleheader starting at 12:00 pm. The AMCATS will look to bounce back on Tuesday when they take on University of New England at home in a 3:30 pm start.

Photo Courtesy of David Sheridan for AMC Sports Information

Release Courtesy of Daniel Harris for AMC Sports Information