AMHERST, MA – Katie Kervick '11 (Windsor Locks, CT) broke a scoreless tie with her first career home run and Jillian Masi '11 (Stamford, CT) went 3-for-3 to lead the Amherst College softball team in an 8-0 win over Hamilton College Sunday afternoon.
Amherst had 11 hits and did not commit an error in the field, while Theresa Kelley '13 (Los Angeles, CA) held the visitors to one hit in five innings. The Lord Jeffs improve to 13-9 overall and move into a tie with Middlebury for first place in the NESCAC West standings (5-1), while the Continentals drop to 1-14 (0-3 NESCAC West).
Kelley and Hamilton starting pitcher Chelsea Merritt were in cruise control through two and a half scoreless innings, but Kervick lit a fire under her team by belting a one-out homer over the left-field fence to mark the first long ball of her collegiate career. Amherst would tack on another four runs in the inning, adding two more in the fourth and one in the fifth to put the mercy rule into effect.
Masi drove in the winning run when she sent a single down the right field line with runners on second and third, as she finished at 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Kaitlin Silkowitz '14 (Scarsdale, NY) was 2-for-2 with a walk, while Reilly Horan '13 (Darien, CT) had a two-RBI triple during her 2-for-3 performance.
Kelley improved to 8-7 by striking out three batters—all in the third inning—and walking none. Her no-hitter was broken up in the top of the fifth when Sam Miller led off with a single that jumped over the third-base bag. Miller would move to second on a Liz Reid sacrifice bunt, but that was the extent of Hamilton's offense on the day.
Merritt took the loss by allowing five runs on six hits in the first 2.2 innings. Summer Bottini surrendered the other three runs on five hits and three walks in 1.2 innings of relief.
The Continentals will return to action Tuesday, Apr. 12, when they host Morrisville State in a doubleheader. The Lord Jeffs will host Smith College in a pair of non-conference games on Wednesday, Apr. 13.
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