DUDLEY, Mass.- Tommy Hobin (Madison, Conn.) and Eddy Jackson (Seekonk, Mass.) each launched their first career home runs, but ultimately the bats of the Roger Williams University Baseball team could not keep pace with the slugging Nichols College Bison dropping a pair of nonconference matchups on Saturday afternoon at the Nichols Baseball Field. The Bison connected on 15 extra-base hits, including six home runs across the two games, as they rolled to a doubleheader sweep winning 21-7 and 12-6.
 
With the losses, the Hawks fall to 18-9 on the season while Nichols improves to 15-9.
 
Hawk Highlights
Game 1
Tommy Hobin (Madison, Conn.): 1-for-2 HR, SB, 2 RBI, RS
Eddy Jackson (Seekonk, Mass.): 1-for-2, HR, RBI, RS
Matt Massaro (Fairfield, Conn.): 2-for-4, BB, RBI, RS
 
Connor Hewlette (Deer Park, N.Y.): (L, 2-3),2.2 IP, 7 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
 
For The Opponents
DJ Caron (Branford, Conn.): 3-for-6, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 RS
Kyle Bouchard (Fall River, Mass.): 4-for-6, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 RS
Jack Arend (Newfields, N.H.): 2-for-4, 2B, HR, BB, 2 RBI, 3 RS
 
Jack Dicenso (Norfolk, Mass.): (W, 6-1), 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
 
How It Happened
This one got out of hand fairly quickly for the Hawks and their starter Connor Hewlette (Deer Park, N.Y.). With one out in the bottom of the first, Kyle Bouchard (Fall River, Mass.) and Christian Naccari (Ossining, N.Y.) each singled before Jack Arend (Newfields, N.H.) took a walk to load the bases with two away for Nathaniel Cormier (Sandisfield, Mass.). The senior shortstop then proceeded to go to the opposite field ripping a double down the right-field line to clear the bases and make it 3-0 Nichols.
 
The Bison tacked on one more in the third with a Bouchard RBI single before they really broke it open in the third. Cormier led off with a double and Ben Jerome (Waterford, Conn.) got hit by a pitch to put two on with no one out. Victor Valentin (Miramar, Fla) then scorched a double down the left field line to score Cormier although Jerome was thrown out advancing to third. After a strike out, DJ Caron (Branford, Conn.) stepped in and he deposited a two-run shot over the fence in left-center to make it 7-0.
 
Roger Williams looked to get back in it in the fifth. With one out Matt Massaro (Fairfield, Conn.) drew a free pass bring up Tommy Hobin (Madison, Conn.) who jumped on one and cranked it over the fence in right-center field for his first career home run. Eddy Jackson (Seekonk, Mass.) made it back-to-back long balls when he torched one out to right for his first career round-tripper and the lead was cut to 7-3.
 
The Bison buried the Hawks for good in the home half however. With Matt Vernacatola (Berlin, Conn.), who had entered following the Caron homer in the third, on the mound, Nichols saw their first seven men reach base safely on a trio of singles, a pair of doubles, a man who reached on an error, and a home run by Bouchard. Nick Harper (Westwood, N.J.) entered and allowed the last of the seven straight batters to reach base safely got out of the inning but not before the hosts plated seven runs in the frame and extended their lead to 14-3.
 
The home run derby for Nichols continued in the seventh as they connected on a trio of home runs in the frame including the second of the contest for Caron and Bouchard. From there, each squad got a handful of garbage time runs but when it was all said and done, Roger Williams fell, 21-7.
 
Hewlette did not have his best stuff on this afternoon allowing seven runs on seven hits, two walks, and three hit batsmen across 2.2 innings to take the loss and drop to 2-3 on the season.
 
His counterpart, Jack Dicenso (Norfolk, Mass.), allowed the back-to-back home runs in the fifth but largely kept the Hawks offense in check surrendering four hits and two walks over six innings to get the win and move to 6-1.
 
In all, seven home runs were swatted in game one with five of them hit by the Bison against four RWU hurlers.
 
Game 2
Eddy Jackson (Seekonk, Mass.): 2-for-3, BB, RBI, 2 RS
Brandon Jenkins (East Bridgewater, Mass.): 1-for-4, 2 RBI
Joey Gulino (Meriden, Conn.): 0-for-0, SB, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 2 RS
 
Dan Massaro (Fairfield, Conn.): (L, 2-2), 3.0 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, K
 
For The Opponents
Christian Naccari (Ossining, N.Y.): 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 RS
Kyle Bouchard (Fall River, Mass.): 2-for-3, BB, 2 RBI, 2 RS
Victor Valentin (Miramar, Fla.): 2-for-5, 2 2B, RBI, 2 RS
 
Owen Sullivan (Biddeford, Maine): (W, 1-0), 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 6 K
 
How It Happened
Game two began right where game one left off for the Bison as right away in the first inning with a man on and one out, Christian Naccari (Ossining, N.Y.) launched a home run to get the scoring started and give the hosts a 2-0 lead right away.
 
The Hawks got one back in the bottom of the fram e thanks to the bottom of the order. With two outs, Matt Massaro (Fairfield, Conn.) and Tommy Hobin (Madison, Conn.) drew a pair of walks for Eddy Jackson (Seekonk, Mass.) who checked in with a run scoring single into right to cut the deficit in half.
 
RWU then tied the score in the third as Joey Gulino (Meriden, Conn.) reached on a walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, and then to third on a ground out. A passed ball allowed Gulino to cross the plate and even the score at two.
 
Nichols took the lead for good in the home half of the third however. With one out, the Bison went station to station hitting four consecutive singles to score a run before a hit batsman firced home a second run. A sacrifice fly plated the third run of the inning and it appeared the Hawks would escape but then Victor Valentin (Miramar, Fla.) ripped a ground-rule double to score a run, a balk forced home another one, and an RBI-single made the score 8-2.
 
Roger Williams battled back in the fifth as they loaded the bases with no one out on a pair of walks straddling a single. After a strikeout, Brandon Jenkins (East Bridgewater, Mass.) singled home a run and then George Somers (Lake Hopatcong, N.J) pitched in a sacrifice fly. A balk then allowed Gulino, who had walked earlier, to cross the plate and make the score 8-5.
 
However, the Hawks could not get any closer as the Bison added a pair of insurance runs in both the fifth and seventh innings and doubled-up RWU, 12-6.
 
For the hosts, their starter, Justin Hurley (Burlington, Mass.) did not qualify for the victory, instead it went to Owen Sullivan (Biddeford, Maine) who only allowed a pair of baserunners in three innings out of the bullpen earning his first win on the season.
 
Dan Massaro (Fairfield, Conn.) took the loss for RWU after surrendering eight runs over three innings to fall to 2-2.
 
What's Next
The Hawks look to rebound in their final tune-up before the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament when they travel to Boston to play Suffolk on Wednesday. First pitch will be 3:30 PM.