Courtesy of Keene State

KEENE, NH – The Amherst College softball team built a 3-0 lead over Keene State College in the first game of a doubleheader and kept things close in the nightcap, but the host Owls came out on the winning end of 4-3 and 3-1 results Friday afternoon at Owl Athletic Complex.

Sophomore Kayla Joyce knocked in the go-ahead run in the first game and hit a home run that put Keene State on top in the second, as the Owls (20-6) have now won four straight and 11 of their last 12. The Lord Jeffs entered the weekend as winners of six of their last eight, but they drop to 13-11 on the season with the sweep. 

In the opener, the Lord Jeffs went up 3-0 in the second inning when Kaitlin Silkowitz '14 (Scarsdale, NY) sent an RBI-single through the left side of the infield with two outs, followed by sophomore Reilly Horan (Darien, CT) driving in a pair with a single to center. Silkowitz went 3-for-4 as the only Amherst player with multiple hits. 

Sophomore Nicole Dupuis's first home run of the season, a two-run blast over the left field fence in the fourth inning, cut the Owls' deficit to 3-2, and Keene State added two more runs in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead. Dupuis brought in one run with an infield single and Joyce single to left center to score the winning run. 

Theresa Kelley '13 (Los Angeles, CA) took the loss after allowing four earned runs on 11 hits, striking out five along the way. Haley Chandler, Sara Stocklinski, Jess Fiorenza, Dupuis and Joyce each had two hits for the Owls in the first game. After a rough second inning, junior Emily Albin settled down to get the win (8-2). She pitched 6.1 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and two walks. 

Sophomore Molly Dussault contributed with her glove and bat in the second game. She made a nice over-the-shoulder grab to save a run in the first inning and doubled down the left field line in the second to give Keene State a 1-0 lead.   

After Amherst tied the game in the fourth on a single by Kelly, Joyce put the Owls ahead 2-1 with her fifth home run of the season, an opposite field solo shot that just made it over the fence in right-center field. Keene State would add an insurance run in the sixth. 

Stocklinski gave the Owls a solid start to improve her record to 9-0. She went six strong innings, giving up one run on six hits while fanning six. Pratt pitched a perfect seventh inning to notch her second save of the doubleheader and her sixth of the season.

Christina Anderson '13 (Port St. Lucie, FL) pitched the first 5.1 innings for Amherst, striking out three and allowing two earned runs on six hits. Silkowitz and Kelley had two hits apiece, while Carolyn Miller '14 (Leominster, MA) had her 15-game hitting streak come to an end. 

The Lord Jeffs will return to action Wednesday, Apr. 20, when they host Smith College in a doubleheader.

GAME 1 BOX SCORE

GAME 2 BOX SCORE