April 9, 2005
AMHERST, MA - The Amherst College softball team split its conference-opening doubleheader with visiting NESCAC West Division rival Wesleyan University on Saturday. The Jeffs took the opener in extra innings, 3-2, but dropped the second game, 2-1, as they moved to 8-7-1 (1-1 NESCAC West), while Wesleyan moved to 7-9 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
Amherst junior Miya Warner (Berkeley, CA) and Wesleyan sophomore Molly Gaebe (Miami, FL) were dominant over the first five innings of the opener as neither surrendered a run, while Warner gave up just two hits. The Jeffs opened the scoring in the bottom of the sixth as sophomore third baseman Caroline Polales (Winnetka, IL) singled to left and swiped second before sprinting home on a fielding error. Junior Laura Trigeiro (Reston, VA), who reached on the error, moved to third on an errant throw and scored on a wild pitch to give Amherst a 2-0 advantage.
Wesleyan rallied when first-year Marcia Whitehead (Cambridge, MA) and Gaebe slapped back-to-back singles to open the seventh. After a sacrifice bunt by senior Liz Burnside (Los Angeles, CA), Whitehead scored on an RBI single from first-year Karla Hargrave (Brookfield, CT) and junior Sarah Gillooly (Orient, NY) plated Gaebe to even the score at 2-2 and force extra frames.
Warner sat down three straight Cardinal hitters in the top of the eighth, and the Jeffs' bats came alive in the bottom half of the inning. Sophomore shortstop Annalise Rodli (La Canada, CA) poked a leadoff double down the left-field line, Polales followed with her second base hit of the game and Trigeiro smashed a double to left center to score Rodli and seal the victory. Warner picked up her sixth win of the season (6-2), surrendering two runs on six hits, while striking out five, and Gaebe dropped to 2-4, giving up one earned run on four hits and four walks.
In Game 2, Hargrave was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored and carried a no-hitter into the sixth frame to lead the Cardinals to the win. Amherst junior Rachel Hoerger (Oakland, CA) broke up the no-hit bid with a single to right, and rookie catcher Elizabeth Neckes (Dover, MA) and Rodli followed with a single and a walk, respectively, to load the bases with just one out. However, a line drive down the third-base line from Polales would fall just foul on the ensuing at-bat, and Hargrave was able to get out of the inning unscathed.
Amherst rallied again in the seventh as sophomore hurler Hilary Little (Kentfield, CA) helped her own cause, crushing a two-out triple into right field and plating first-year Kelly King (Grosse Pointe Park, MI) to pull the Jeffs within one. But Amherst's comeback would end there as Hoerger's line drive up the middle was snatched by Wesleyan sophomore second baseman Lindsey Greenberg (Santa Monica, CA) to seal the win. Rookie Samantha Miller (Newton, MA) fell to 0-2, giving up just one earned run on six hits in four innings of work, and Little allowed only one hit in three innings pitched. Hargrave tossed 6.2 solid innings and improved to 4-5, while Gaebe earned her first save of the season.
Amherst returns to action tomorrow (Sunday) at 1 p.m. against visiting NESCAC West Division opponent Hamilton College.
GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE
VIEW PHOTOS from Saturday's games (courtesy of Sam Masinter '04, Amherst Public Affairs)
