Strong Pitching Leads Gulls Past Nichols
April 26, 2006
BEVERLY, MA - The Gulls took the field in their second round game this afternoon against the Bison of Nichols College and were able to come out with the victory as they defeated the Bison 8-2. With this win the Gulls will have a short break and will play again on Saturday. The Bison will play the winner of the Eastern Nazarene/Colby-Sawyer match-up on Friday April 28, 2006 at 3:00pm. The Gulls will then play the winner of that game Saturday April 29 at 10:00am. If the Gulls happen to lose that game, then there would be a second game to decide who would advance to the CCC championship game Sunday April 30 at 12:00pm at the highest remaining seed.
Strong pitching was the theme for the Gulls for the second day in a row as junior Erik Fields (Swampscott, MA/Swampscott) pitched eight strong innings recording six strikeouts while allowing just three walks as well as three hits and two runs scored. All three of the Bison's hits were recorded in the third and fourth innings by sophomore Brett Bergeron (Holyoke, MA/Holyoke), junior Robbie Arnold (Gloucester, MA/Gloucester) and senior Jason Leonard (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael). Bergeron and senior Adam Feeney (Marlboro, MA/Marlboro) scored the runs for the Bison.
The bats also were hot for the second day in a row as the Gulls recorded ten hits with three repeat hitters. Seniors Kevin Donahue (Reading, MA/Reading) and Matt Bishop (Woburn, MA/Woburn) along with sophomore Gavin Softic (Athol, MA/Cushing Academy) each had two hits. Donahue and Softic also scored runs while Bishop drove two runners in with a single in the sixth inning. Sophomores Adam Labbe (Litchfield, ME/Oak Hill Regional) and Tom Warner (Hopkinton, NH/Hopkinton) had two runs apiece while Labbe also had two RBI's.