AMHERST, MA – The Amherst College softball team chalked up only two hits but put in an exceptional defensive performance during a crucial 3-1 win over archrival Williams College. The Lord Jeffs improve to 19-6 overall and 7-3 in the NESCAC West, while Williams falls to 13-15 (6-4 NESCAC West).
With Wesleyan University's 2-0 win over Hamilton College on Friday afternoon, Amherst and Wesleyan sit in a two-way tie for first place in the NESCAC West, with Williams close behind. The Jeffs and Ephs will play two at Williams on Saturday with a live webcast available. The first game is set to begin at 1 p.m.
Prior to the game, Amherst honored its five seniors: Maddie Tamagni (Salinas, CA), Julia Cummings (Los Angeles, CA), Emily Bularzik (Braintree, MA), Alexa Princi (Darien, CT) and Holly Trace (Northport, AL). In the past four years the Class of 2009 has posted a record of 65-54.
An RBI-double by Amherst junior Emily Neill (Kentfield, CA) proved to be the biggest hit of the day, as the Jeffs scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning after surrendering one in the top half of the frame. Neither team would cross the plate in the final six innings of what turned into a pitchers' duel between the squads' two aces. Williams committed three errors on the day, while the hosts didn't commit any.
Williams senior shortstop Joey Lye led off the game with a single to center field, stole second base and advanced to third on an infield hit. Lye gave her team an early 1-0 lead when she came around to score on an infield single by Morgan Simpson, but that would be the Ephs' final run of the day.
Amherst's three runs in the first inning came on only one hit. After Tamagni was hit by a pitch, first-year Carly Dudzik (Darien, CT) walked with only one out to set up Neill's big hit. The double to right center scored Tamagni to tie the game, while an errant throw from the outfield made its way to the backstop and allowed Dudzik to score the eventual game winner. Neill also scored in the inning on a sacrifice fly by first-year Stephanie Clegg (Woburn, MA), her ninth RBI of the season.
Williams starting pitcher Mary Beth Daub and Lord Jeff starter Alex Chang-Graham (San Carlos, CA) each got into a rhythm and retired eight consecutive batters heading into the fourth inning. While the Ephs threatened several times in the later innings, Amherst could never figure out Daub, who struck out seven, walked one and allowed only two hits in 6.0 innings. Daub struck out the side in the third inning—all looking—and began the fourth with another backwards-K.
The visitors had runners on first and second with one out in the fifth and threatened again in the sixth with runners at the corners and only one out, but solid defense got the Jeffs out of each jam. Chang-Graham got a huge out to begin the seventh inning when Lye—the Ephs' top hitter—sent a grounder back to the mound. Amherst made it a 1-2-3 inning when the next two batters grounded out to Trace at third, as the Jeffs held on for the big win.
Chang-Graham improved to 15-2 on the season, while Daub dropped to 6-5 with the tough-luck loss. The Amherst ace struck out two and walked none in the win, surrendering only one run on nine hits. Lye, Emily Fowler-Cornfeld and Allison Hart each had two hits for the Ephs.
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