Baseball Opens Season with 7-6 Loss to Nichols

Northborough, Mass. – The Framingham State University baseball team opened the 2018 season this afternoon and were defeated 7-6 by Nichols College in non-conference action at the New England Baseball Complex.

With the win, the Bison are now 1-0 on the season and the Rams are now 0-1.

The Rams got on the board first in the bottom of the third.  Junior Aaron Williams (Brockton, Mass.) reached on an infield single and stole second. He moved to third on a wild pitch before scoring on an RBI groundout by senior Cameron Borrelli (Peabody, Mass.).  Junior Jordan Pallazola (Rockport, Mass.) doubled and moved to third when sophomore Matt Fogarty (Millis, Mass.) reached on an error.  Pallazola scored the Rams second run on a failed pickoff attempt of Fogarty at first.  Graduate student Matt Brockett (Guilford, Conn.) was hit by a pitch and he and Fogarty came around to score on an RBI single by sophomore Anthony Venuti (Braintree, Mass.) putting the Rams up 4-0.

In the top of the next inning, the Bison got on the board with a pair of runs.  With runners on the corners, Kyle Bouchard (Fall River, Mass.) reached on a fielder's choice, but the Rams failed to get the out at home on the play.  Sophomore Christian Naccari (Ossining, NY) followed with an RBI single to right cutting the Rams lead to 4-2.

The Rams got a single run back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI by single by Borrelli pushing the lead to 5-3.  The Bison cut the lead to one in the top of the sixth.  Back-to-back singles by Nick Roy (Middletown, Conn.) and Bouchard gave the Bison runners on the corners with one out.  A fielder's choice scored Roy and Naccari followed with a two run double to the gap in right center.

Nichols took their first lead, 7-5, in the top of the seventh as they scored three runs and capitalized on two Rams errors and three walks all with two outs.

The Rams had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth with Williams, who reached on an infield single, on and Pallazola at the plate with one out.  Pallazola hit a long drive to center, but Roy made a great catch over the fence in center robbing Pallazola of homerun and keeping the Bison ahead by two.  Brockett delivered an RBI single with two outs plating Williams and moving the tying run to third, but a strikeout ended the game.

Senior Mike Andrews (Stoneham, Mass.) started on the mound for the Rams and did not factor in the decision. Andrews went six innings allowing four earned runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and no walks.  Junior Kevin Connelly (Bolton, Mass.) took the loss going two innings in relief and allowing three runs, all unearned, on one hit with three strikeouts and five walks. Senior Chris Riga (Westfield, Mass.) tossed one inning of scoreless relief.

Junior Danny Hayden (East Greenwich, RI) started for the Bison and went three innings allowing four runs, one earned, on four hits.  Andrew Charbonneau (Berlin, Conn.) earned the victory in relief going four innings and allowing one unearned run on four hits with three walks and a strikeout.  Vincent Amato earned the save tossing one inning and allowing an earned run on two hits.

The Rams are back in action tomorrow at the NEBC when they host Salve Regina University in a non-conference game at 11 a.m., while the Bison travel to Wheaton tomorrow for a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.