DUDLEY, Mass. – Suffolk softball fell behind early and never came back as Nichols took down the Rams, 4-1, in the nightcap of a Commonwealth Coast Conference twinbill Saturday afternoon at the Nichols Softball Field. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 1 | Nichols 4
RECORDS: Suffolk (12-14, 3-3 CCC) | Nichols (12-10, 6-2 CCC)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Nichols notched a pair of runs in the first frame to put the blue-and-gold in a 2-0 hole. The offensive output came behind three hits, including a double, two hit by pitches and one base on balls.  

Despite Suffolk seeing multiple base runners and opportunities, the score stayed put until the bottom of the fifth when the Bison padded their advantage. This time the runs came in on a passed ball and a productive ground out. The runners that scored reached on a single and a hit by pitch. 

The Rams eliminated the shutout in the top of the sixth. With runners in the corners, Diana Rucinski's long out to  center plated Lily Gustafson, who walked, to put Suffolk on the scoreboard. The Rams managed to fill the bases thanks to a Nichols fielding mishap and a single off Jolie Quintana's bat. The Bison made a change in the circle as Chelsea Indyk came in to take over for Cassidy Machado. All the dcuks were kept in the pond as Catherine Carignansent the ball right to the third baseman, who stepped on third for the final out of the frame. 

Ashlyn Conley kept the three-run gap as the reliever retired the side in the home half of the inning. The fresh arm sandwiched strikeouts, both swinging, around a ground out to third, to keep the score still. 

Suffolk went down in order in the seventh though and a comeback was not made.   

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Cynthia Rucinski took the setback after giving up four runs, two earned, on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts in 5.0 innings. 
• Conley logged 1.0 inning of scoreless, hitless relief with a pair of punchouts. 
• Indyk saved the game with 1.1 inning of scoreless, hitless relief. 
• Olivia Pedro started and put together a five-hit, one-walk, one-K effort in 4.1 innings, all scoreless. 
• Machado registered a one-run, unearned, one-hit, one-walk, one-strikeout effort in 1.1 innings of relief.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Diana Rucinski brought in Suffolk's lone run of the day on a sac fly. 
• Quintana went 2-for-4 at the dish. 
• Carginan, Julia Mills, Ava Brandow and Bella Rocha-Medeiros all chipped in one hit. 
• Gustafson scored the Rams only run and walked twice.  

NOTEWORTHY

• The Rams are now 4-4 all-time against the Bison.
• Suffolk moved to 2-2 versus Nichols in Dudley, Massachusetts.  

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Rams will entertain Gordon in a CCC twinbill tomorrow, Sunday, April 14 at Rotch Field. Action for game one is scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m.