Courtesy of Westfield State College Sports Information

WESTFIELD, MA – Westfield State and Amherst College split a doubleheader in non-conference softball action on Thursday, Apr. 9. The host Owls outlasted the Lord Jeffs in the opener, 6-3, while Amherst blanked Westfield in the nightcap, 6-0, courtesy of a three-hit shutout by senior tri-captain Samantha Miller (Newton, MA). 

In the opener, Jackie Mason and Katie Gorman both drove in two runs to spark the Owls. The free-swinging Lord Jeffs out-hit Westfield, 9-8, in game one but they stranded 10 base runners. The Owls only stranded four base runners.

Mason led off the bottom of the first inning with a solo homer over the leftfield fence. Gorman rapped a run-scoring single later in the inning for a 2-0 lead.

Gorman delivered another RBI single in the third to give Westfield a 3-0 advantage. Amherst scored twice in the fourth on a two-run single by sophomore Jackie Tyler (Ridgewood, NJ).

The Owls scrapped for three runs in the home half of the fourth for a 6-2 lead. Gia Calabrese and Danielle Lutenegger singled and Calabrese scored on an RBI single up the middle by Alicia Gardner. Mason hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Lutenegger and Lindsay Jardin followed with an RBI single.

Amherst loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth but only scored one run on a sacrifice fly by senior tri-captain Kelly King (Grosse Pointe Park, MI).

Westfield ace pitcher Chelsea Sylvia scattered the nine hits, walked two and struck out six. She allowed one earned run.

Gardner and Gorman were both 2-for-3 at the plate. Tyler and sophomore Alex Chang-Graham (San Carlos, CA) were both 2-for-4 for Amherst and sophomore Emily Neill (Kentfield, CA) was 2-for-4 with a double.

In the second game, Tyler was 4-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored to increase her season batting average to a team-high .558, while Miller tossed a three-hit shutout to move to 2-2 on the season. Miller walked two and struck out two.

Amherst blasted 12 hits off losing pitcher Casey Riddell, and the Lord Jeffs stranded 13 runners in game two. Amherst scored single runs in the second, third and fourth innings, then tallied twice in the fifth. Emily Bularzik (Braintree, MA) was 2-for-4 with a triple and first-year first baseman Samantha Presnal (Belchertown, MA) was 2-for-5. Catcher Holly Trace (Northport, AL) was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Westfield's record is now 14-6 heading into key conference games this weekend vs. Worcester State, while Amherst moves to 7-9.

GAME 1 BOX SCORE

GAME 2 BOX SCORE