Courtesy of Hamilton College

CLINTON, NY – Kevin Heller '12 (Brooklyn, NY) hit a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning to break a 2-2 tie and lift the Amherst College baseball team to a NESCAC West doubleheader sweep against Hamilton College at Royce Field Saturday afternoon. 

Amherst (15-5, 5-1 NESCAC West) has won five straight games and is 9-1 in its past 10 after taking all three from the Continentals (8-16, 1-5) this weekend. The Lord Jeffs won Saturday's seven-inning opener, 15-8, and edged the Continentals by a 5-3 margin in the nine-inning nightcap.

Heller finished the doubleheader with two hits—both home runs—and five runs batted in. His blast in the second game came with runners on second and third and one out. With a 5-1 mark in conference play, Amherst is three games ahead of Middlebury (5-4) and Wesleyan (5-4) in the NESCAC West standings. 

Mike Samela '12 (Westport, CT) hit a solo blast in the sixth inning to finish the nightcap with two RBIs. Taiki Kasuga '14 (New York, NY) had three hits, Thomas Wheeler '12 (Minnetonka, MN) singled and doubled, and Scott Shaffer '11 (Boulder, CO) chipped in with two hits. 

Ryan Healy '11 (Westport, CT) improved to 3-0 as he allowed three runs on three hits in eight-plus innings, striking out six and walking none. He left the game after allowing a single to the first batter he faced in the ninth. Hayden Metz '12 (Ridgefield, CT) picked up his first save for pitching a scoreless ninth inning. Metz gave up one hit, fanned one and hit a batter.

In the opener, Nolan Stewart '13 (New Canaan, CT) had three hits, including a home run, and drove in four for Amherst. Kasuga chipped in three hits, three runs scored and three RBIs. Shaffer singled, doubled, scored three runs and drove in one, while Wheeler had two hits and drove in two runs. Bob Cook '13 (Winnetka, IL) tripled and had an RBI, and Jose Espinosa '11 (Ridgefield, CT) singled and drove in one.

The Jeffs scored five runs in the top of the first inning of the opener and led throughout. Hamilton was still within two runs (10-8) through six innings, but Amherst put up another five in the seventh to clinch the victory. Dylan Driscoll '14 (Mount Airy, MD) picked up his third win in relief of starter Fred Shepard '14 (Amherst, MA). Driscoll allowed one run on three hits in four innings and struck out three.

The Lord Jeffs will host three games in four days next week, beginning with a 4 p.m. matchup against Brandeis on Tuesday, Apr. 19.

GAME 1 BOX SCORE

GAME 2 BOX SCORE