Courtesy of Westfield State

WESTFIELD, MA – The Amherst College baseball team fell into an early 5-0 hole at Westfield State University, but Alex Hero '14 (New York, NY) went 3-for-5 and Mike Samela '12 (Westport, CT) delivered a timely two-RBI double to lead the Lord Jeffs to a 7-5, come-from-behind win over the Owls Friday afternoon.

Amherst improved its record to 7-4, while Westfield dropped to 5-9 with its fourth straight setback. The Lord Jeffs will return to action Saturday, Apr. 2, when they host Bowdoin College in a non-conference doubleheader. 
 
The Owls scored two runs in the first inning and three in the second, but they were held to two hits over the final seven innings as Amherst starter Max McKenna '11 (Lexington, MA) and reliever Ryan Healy '11 (Westport, CT) pitched effectively.
 
Westfield scored two unearned runs with the aid of two Amherst errors in the bottom of the first. Sophomore Josh Blair plated the first run with a sacrifice fly and Alex Cloutier followed with an RBI-double.
 
The Owls added three runs on three hits and a walk in the second. Jimmy Leavitt laced a two-out RBI-single to right field and Blair blasted a two-run triple. Blair led the Owls at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs on the day.
 
Amherst sent nine batters to the plate in the fourth, scoring three unearned runs on one hit, two walks and three errors. Taiki Kasuga '14 (New York, NY) drew a bases loaded walk for the first run and two more runs crossed the plate on an infield error.
 
Amherst, which out-hit Westfield by a 10-6 margin and stranded 11 baserunners, broke through with a four-run uprising in the eighth inning on four hits. Samela delivered the big blow, a two-run double to right field that snapped a 5-5 tie.
 
Healy (1-0) earned the victory by throwing the final three innings, allowing one hit and no walks. McKenna settled down after the rocky start, striking out six and walking just one. Sean Keane, the fifth of six Westfield pitchers, was tagged with the loss.
 
Hero—the No. 9 hitter—led the Lord Jeffs at the plate by going 3-for-5 with an RBI. Scott Shaffer '11 (Boulder, CO) and Kevin Heller '12 (Brooklyn, NY) added two singles apiece, while Kyle Colesanti was 2-for-4 for the Owls. Heller's single in the eighth inning marked the 100th hit of his career.

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