CLEARWATER, FLA. 3/14/2004  - The Keene State College baseball team opened up its 2004 season by splitting a doubleheader against Nichols College of Dudley, Mass., in Clearwater, Florida on Sunday.

Playing in ideal conditions and 75-degree temperatures, the Owls won the opener 8-2 before falling to the Bison 3-1 in the second game.

Keene State collected 10 hits and junior pitcher Jim Slack (Manchester, N.H.) scattered seven hits to notch the complete game victory in the first game.

The Owls scored seven runs in the first three innings.  KSC took a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first.  Freshman shortstop Peter Hall (Danielson, Conn.) and Mike Masseur (Warwick, R.I.) had RBI hits, Bill Green (Montgomery, N.Y.), who was hit by a pitch four times in the twinbill, brought in a run, and another run came in on a double play.

Justin Hickman (Mont Vernon, N.H.) contributed an RBI single in a two run second inning, and Tim Kendrick (Middletown, R.I.) added a runs scoring double in the third. 

Masseur went two-for-two with a pair of RBIs, while Hall and Matt Orszulak (Campton, N.H.) had a couple of hits each. 

Slack struck out seven and walked one in his first appearance of the season.

The Owls could only muster four hits in the second game as they struggled against Nichols southpaw Chris Demers.

Nichols scored single runs in the first, third, and sixth innings.  KSC's only answer was Jeremy Schillings (Centerville, Mass.) solo shot in the seventh inning. Schilling had two hits, and Pat Austin (Wallingford, Conn.) and Hickman had the other hits to account for the Owls offense. 

Keene native, Peter Bergeron, who was making his first college start, gave up four hits while striking out two and walking four.  Three runners who reached on walks came around to score.  "Peter threw well and battled," said KSC Coach Ken Howe.  "He pitched well enough to win, but we didn't give him much run support."

Keene State faces Mount St. Joseph's of Ohio in a Monday doubleheader.