Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Baseball team suffered its first home loss of the year in a doubleheader split against Nichols College. The Hawks took the opener 3-2 before the Bison snapped a seven-game skid with a 7-6 win.

In the opener, Nichols' Brett Lewis (North Attleboro, Mass.) pitched fairly well over the first three innings, allowing only two hits over that stretch. RWU's Dan Julian (Stratford, Conn.) gave up only one hit through three innings, but struggled a bit with control as he gave up four walks.

Troy DeLeon (East Hampton, Mass.) came on in relief of Julian in the fourth in the middle of Julian's batter of the inning, and would ultimately keep the Bison off of the scoreboard. The Hawks, conversely, would plate their first score of the game in the bottom half of the inning. Reid Nelson (Wallingford, Conn.) smacked his first home run of the year to deep left field for a 1-0 Hawk lead.

Nichols lucked out on its game-tying run in the top of the fifth. A potential 4-6-3 inning-ending double play was negated on a dropped throw back to first, allowing Evan Thompson (Longmeadow, Mass.), who reached on a one-out- double, to tie the game.

RWU was able to get the run back in the bottom of the frame, with Nelson bringing home Jamie Timothy (Cohasset, Mass.) with an RBI single, but Nichols again got the run back in the sixth. After a Brett Franciosi (Leominster, Mass.) triple, Jeff Sylvester (Berlin, Conn.) hit a grounder to second, setting up a play at the plate. Franciosi was able to slide under the tag and tie the game up at one.

The Hawks again responded in the bottom of the inning with Chris Travers (East Freetown, Mass.) working the count and drawing a bases-loaded walk to score Kevin Baker (Wilbraham, Mass.) for the eventual game-winning run. Tyler Pogmore (Lebanon, Conn.), who came on in the sixth and was charged with the blown save , had a precarious seventh inning. Thompson hit a leadoff double and made it to third on a sacrifice, but Pogmore was able to induce a pair of ground outs to secure his second win of the year.

Nelson finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run, while Timothy and Baker were each 1-for-3 with a run.

Adam Rigney (Niantic, Conn.) took the loss, giving up an unearned run in his sole inning of work. Thompson was 2-for-4 while Franciosi was 1-for-2 with a run.

In the second game, Hawks' starter A.J. Bashaw (Norton, Mass.) got off to a good start, sandwiching a pair of strikeouts around a ground out to third in the top of the first. In the bottom of the inning, Timothy was able to get into scoring position with a two-out double. He would score on the next at-bat on an RBI single by Travers.

Nichols mounted a rally in the second, beginning with back-to-back one-out singles by Scott Iacobucci (Hope, R.I.) and Franciosi. Joseph Nicolace grounded into a potential 4-6-3 double play, but an errant throw on throw to first allowed him to reach and Iacobucci to score. Brett Jackson (Larchmont N.Y.) was later plunked with the bases loaded to bring home Nicolace for the go-ahead run.

In the third, Benjamin Harrow led off the frame with a double to left center just past a diving Mike Pascarella (Milford, Conn.) and moved to third on a wild pitch. Shayne McNally (Auburn, Mass.) brought him in with an RBI groundout to short, putting the Bison up by two.

Pascarella came through in the bottom of the inning with a one-out single. Caulin Rogers (Gloucester, Mass.) then blooped a single just over second base. Timothy followed with a clutch RBI single just inside the third base line to score Pascarella. With the bases loaded, Rogers scored the game-tying run as Tyler Ferdinand (Middleboro, Mass.) was called for a balk before his first pitch to Shawn Cariglio (Milford, Conn.) Cariglio would then hit a sacrifice fly to center for the go-ahead score, followed by an RBI double for Nelson for a 5-3 Hawk lead.

Baker led off the fourth with a double and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

Nichols looked poised to put up some runs in the top of the fifth, with Thompson and Matt Hardy (North Attleboro, Mass.) leading off the inning with back-to-back singles. However, the Hawks were able to escape the inning without giving up any runs, as the Bison went down in the frame without getting a runner to third.

The sixth inning saw Nichols pull back in the game. Francisco began the inning with a short single to right center. Nicolace stepped to the plate next and slammed a home run to deep right, pulling the Bison within one. Sylvester chased Bashaw from the game with a single of his own, bringing in Brendan Telfer (Avon, Conn.). Sylvester was sacrificed over to second, then moved to third on a pitch in the dirt with one out in the inning. With the bases loaded and a full count, McNally hit a slow chopper to second base that would appear to get the Hawks out of the inning, but the ball took an awkward hop over the glove of Rogers, allowing Sylvester and Thompson to score and put the Bison back up by one. Hardy nearly scored on the play but Trevor Larson (Scarborough, Maine) was able to gun him out at home on a strong throw to the plate from right.

In the bottom of the seventh, Hardy snagged the first two outs of the inning with a pair of diving catches to keep runners off the bases, the second catch preventing extra bases. After Travers was hit by a pitch, Cariglio was able to make contact on a 3-2 pitch but flew out to center for the final out.

Nick Croteau (Fitchburg, Mass.) picked up the win, pitching a scoreless sixth while Rigney earned the save with a scoreless seventh. Franciosi was 3-for-4 with a run, while Nicolace was 1-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.

Telfer took the loss, giving up a run in 1.2 innings. Rogers and Timothy both finished 2-for-4 with Timothy scoring twice and Rogers once.
Roger Williams (19-10, 11-3 CCC) heads to UMass-Boston on Wednesday, while Nichols (4-20, 3-7 CCC) hosts Eastern Nazarene tomorrow.