Strong Pitching, Hard Hitting Key Gulls in Sweep of Bison
April 14, 2006
Dudley, MA - Endicott College swept Nichols College, 9-1 and 12-7 Friday afternoon in Dudley, Massachusetts in Commonwealth Coast Conference play.
The Gulls (14-12, 12-2 CCC) remain in first place in the CCC, one game ahead of Salve Regina (18-11, 7-3 CCC) while the Bison dropped to 10-16 overall and 7-5 in the CCC.
Endicott sophomore Dan Gomez (East Longmeadow, MA/East Longmeadow) provided the offense in the first game, slamming a pair of home runs to back the superb pitching of senior Matt Bishop (Woburn, MA/Woburn). Bishop cruised to 3-1 with the win, fanning nine and scattering five hits. Freshman Joe Paciello (Worcester, MA/St. Peter Marian), who drove in two runs, Adam Labbe (Litchfield, ME/Oak Hill) and Erik Fields (Swampscott, MA/Swampscott) each went 2-for-4.
Nichols plated three runs in the first inning of game two, capped by freshman Phil Costello's (Medford, Ma) two-run double. But the visitors answered on a two-run double off the bat of sophomore Tom Warner (Hopkinton, NH/Hopkinton).
Nichols took a 6-3 advantage in the bottom of the second when sophomore Chris Kirschner (Quincy, MA) singled home freshman Brett Bergeron (Holyoke, MA), Kirschner came around to score on a single by Parker Riley (Allentown, PA), who later scored on a Sal Gesamondo (Lynnfield, MA) single.
With Nichols clinging to a 7-3 lead, but nothing could stop the bats of Endicott. Joe Orlando (Gloucester, MA/Gloucester) went 4-for-4 and kicked off a nine-run fourth innings to help the Gulls break the game wide open.
Orlando ripped a homer over the centerfield fence to help junior starter Ian Parkinson (Peabody, MA/Peabody) earn the win. Parkinson went the distance, striking out four to improve to 4-1 this season.