April 13, 2002

AMHERST, MA – The Amherst College softball team improved to 6-0 in NESCAC West Division play with a doubleheader sweep against visiting Hamilton College on Saturday, winning the opener, 3-1, and the nightcap, 3-0. The Jeffs clinched a berth in the NESCAC Championship Tournament and their sixth consecutive postseason appearance with the pair of wins. 

Amherst rebounded from an early 1-0 deficit to win game-one. Senior hurler Lauren Peloquin (Berkley, MA) finished with nine strikeouts and surrendered just four hits and one unearned run en route to her 11th victory. She also knotted the score in the third inning with a sacrifice fly, scoring rookie Liz Staunton (Milton, MA). Junior Erin Dittus (Brentwood, TN) then knocked in the game-winner with another sac fly in the fourth inning, driving in junior right fielder Tamara Baer (Amherst, NY), who reached with a triple. Sophomore first-baseman Gina Scribner (Star, ID), who also tripled in the game, added an insurance run with an RBI double in the fifth inning to set the final score at 3-1. 

Junior starter Emily Melia (Hingham, MA) took the hill in game-two and limited Hamilton to just one hit in five shutout innings, evening her pitching record at 2-2. Peloquin came on in the sixth and picked up her second save. 

The Jeffs jumped in front in the second inning when Peloquin led off with a double, advanced on a sac bunt and scored on a throwing error. Scribner stretched the lead to 2-0 with an RBI single in the third, before junior shortstop Missy Mordy (Sammamish, WA) singled home Staunton in the fifth. Amherst finished with five hits in the nightcap, all by different players. 

Amherst improved to 13-7 overall, while Hamilton fell to 5-11, 2-4 in conference play. The Jeffs return to action for a non-league doubleheader Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at Westfield State College. 

Click HERE for full game-one box score... 

Click HERE for full game-two box score...