FRANKLIN, Mass. – April 26, 2023 - The Dean College softball team fell to non-conference foe Nichols in a pair of games on Wednesday afternoon. The Bison came away with a 2-0 win in eight innings in game one and a 9-0 victory in six innings in game two.
Dean (5-26-1) plays a Great Northeast Athletic Conference doubleheader at Emmanuel on Thursday at 5 p.m. Nichols (17-16-1) resumes Commonwealth Coast Conference action on Saturday with a doubleheader at Gordon with first pitch at noon.
GAME ONE: Nichols 2, Dean 0 (8 inn.)
The first seven innings went scoreless with each team posting three hits apiece.
Nichols finally broke through in the top of the eighth as a runner was placed at second to begin the extra frame. First-year Emily Iannuccilli (Johnston, R.I.) then reached on a bunt single. After she stole second, the Bison had two runners in scoring position. First-year Ava Slavinsky (Redding, Conn.) came through with a double to the left center gap to score both runs.
Nichols pitcher Chelsea Indyk (Easthampton, Mass.) then retired the side in the bottom half to preserve the 2-0 victory. She tossed a complete game, 3-hitter with 12 strikeouts.
Dean junior pitcher
Jilian Glynn (Londonderry, N.H.) suffered the loss after a great performance in the circle. She also threw a complete game with one earned run on six hits and four strikeouts.
GAME TWO: Nichols 9, Dean 0 (6 inn.)
After a scoreless first inning, Nichols put four on the board in the second with four RBI hits. Emma West-Testo (Monroe, Conn.) began things with an RBI double. She then scored on a single by Slavinsky. Slavinsky scored on a triple by Allie Brown (Middlebury, Conn.) who later scored on a single by Erin Gour (Westfield, Mass.).
The Bison took a 7-0 lead in the third inning. West-Testo brought home a pair with a single to left and she later scored on a passed ball.
Nichols scored twice in the sixth to give the visitors a 9-0 advantage. Sophomore Shelby Eason (Atkinson, N.H.) singled up the middle to bring in Brown and Gour.
West-Testo finished 2 for 3 with three RBIs and two runs scored to lead the Bison.
Four Bulldogs had hits in the game.
Meredith Landers (Littleton, Mass.) had a double.
Nichols first-year pitcher Olivia Pedro (North Providence, R.I.) went the distance for the 4-hit shutout with four strikeouts.