EAST BOSTON – Suffolk softball built a lead and hung onto to it to take down Nichols, 5-4, Saturday afternoon in game two of a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) doubleheader at East Boston Memorial Park.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 5 | Nichols 4
RECORDS: Suffolk (5-14, 4-4 CCC) | Nichols (10-13, 3-5 CCC) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
A lead-off walk by Caitlin Murphy led to an early 1-0 edge for Suffolk. Ally Cifaratta bunted the centerfielder over and a productive ground out to the pitcher by Ava Brandow put Murphy on third. Savannah Scripter plated Murphy with a single through the right side.  

Back-to-back solo shots to left by Nichols flipped the script in favor of the visitors in the next half inning, 2-1. 

Catherine Carignan sent the ball over the left field fence started the home half of the second to level the playing field at 2-all. Suffolk did not stop scoring there as it put up three more runs to extend its advantage to 5-2. 

The Bison brought the deficit down to a pair with a sac fly in the third, before the long play factored into scoring for the visitors in the fourth as Erin Gour barreled her second bomb of the day to make it a one-run game.  

Nichols had a chance to even things up in the fifth as Ava Slavinsky knocked a single to right and made her way over to third. Brandow stepped up and struck out Allie Silliman swinging to keep the lead for the Rams.  

The sophomore twirler continued to shove in the sixth and seventh as she retired the side in both with a punchout in each frame to lock up the win for Suffolk. 

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Brandow locked up the win with a four-run (three-earned), seven-hit, one-walk and six-strikeout, complete-game effort. 
• Nichols starter Alyssa Ouellette took the loss after giving up three runs on three hits and one walk over 1.1 innings. 
• Laney Martin came in for the Bison and logged a two-run, six-hit, two-walk, two-strikeout effort over 4.2 frames. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Cifaratta contributed two RBI on one hit. 
• Murphy scored twice, had one hit, one RBI and one walk. 
• Lily Gustafson went 2-for-3 and scored one run. 
• Carignan had one hit, a homer, one RBI and one run scored. 
• Scripter supplied one RBI and one hit. 
• Lily O'Neil contributed one hit and one run. 
• Turnbull and Ira Boci chipped in one hit each. 

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk is 4-2 all-time against Nichols. 
• The blue-and-gold is 2-0 in East Boston versus the Bison. 
• The Rams are unbeaten, 4-0, against Nichols under Janet Maguire's guidance. 
• Suffolk has won four in a row against the Bison. 
• Carignan hit her first collegiate homer. 

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk heads across town tomorrow, Sunday, April 16 to take on Wentworth in a CCC double feature.