TUCSON, AZ – The Amherst College softball team earned a 4-2 win over Augsburg College Thursday morning and needed only five innings to take care of the University of Massachusetts-Boston in the nightcap, as the Lord Jeffs capped off their day with a 15-4 victory. Amherst has now won five straight games after starting the season in a 0-3 hole, but the Jeffs will face a pair of challenging opponents in Morningside and Luther on Friday
Sophomore Alexandra Chang-Graham (San Carlos, CA) struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh inning to cap off a complete-game victory over Augsburg, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out six. The win was the third of the season for Chang-Graham, who has posted a 3-1 record during the Lord Jeffs' Spring Break trip.
First-year Katie Kervick (Windsor Locks, CT) continued her impressive rookie campaign with a 2-RBI double, with classmate Samantha Presnal (Belchertown, MA) chipping in with an RBI-single. Sophomore Emily Neill (Kentfield, CA) went 2-for-4 with a double, while senior tri-captain Liz Neckes (Dover, MA) had an RBI-double to account for one of the Jeffs' nine hits in the game.
Amherst continued to roll in its nightcap, increasing its winning streak to five games with a 15-4 win over UMass Boston in a five-inning game. Senior tri-captain Samantha Miller (Newton, MA) picked up her second win of the season (2-1), striking out three batters and allowing eight hits in her five innings of work.
Neckes added another two hits and two RBIs in the second game, while fellow senior tri-captain Kelly King (Grosse Point Park, MI) went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and junior Emily Bularzik (Braintree, MA) drove in two runs in a 1-for-3 performance.
This year's Amherst squad consists of only 13 players and has already seen its fair share of injuries, but the Lord Jeffs have hung tough and jumped out to a stronger start than last year's squad did. Regardless of what happens in the remainder of their Spring Break trip, the Jeffs deserve a lot of credit for persevering during what has been a challenging time.
AUGSBURG BOX SCORE
UMASS BOSTON BOX SCORE
