By Spencer Noon '13
AMHERST, MA – The Amherst College baseball team put on an offensive showcase during its two wins over Bowdoin College Sunday afternoon at Memorial Field. The Lord Jeffs move to 9-4 on the year, while the Polar Bears drop to 9-5.
Bowdoin held a 5-0 lead after four and a half innings in the opener, but Amherst stormed back to score four runs in the fifth, four in the seventh and six in the eighth en route to a 14-7 victory. The Jeffs were in command throughout the second game, scoring three runs in the second inning and pulling away for an 8-1 win.
Brian Merrigan '11 (Holbrook, MA) went 4-for-7 with four RBIs on the day to lead the Jeffs, who racked up 13 hits in each game. Dylan Driscoll '14 (Mount Airy, MD) picked up the win in the first game by pitching four strong innings of relief, while Fred Shepard '14 (Amherst, MA) and Ryan Healy '11 (Westport, CT) combined to shut down the Polar Bears in the nightcap.
Joe Comizio '11 stood out for Bowdoin by going 4-for-8 with a pair of RBIs in the two games, while Dan Findley '13 went 3-for-9 with three RBIs and two runs scored. The Polar Bears, who entered the weekend ranked seventh in the region, committed 13 errors on the day.
The visitors wasted no time getting going in the opener, as Findley belted a three-run homer that bounced off the top of the fence to give his team an early cushion. Comizio would drive in Bowdoin's next two runs, singling down the right field line in the third inning to score Brett Gorman '11 before his fifth-inning sacrifice fly brought in Brendan Garner '11 to make it a 5-0 game.
Amherst would take advantage of some sloppy Bowdoin defense and cut its deficit to one run in the bottom of the fifth. Merrigan scored on a wild pitch, Bob Cook '13 (Winnetka, IL) came home after an errant throw on a stolen base attempt, and Kevin Heller '12 (Brooklyn, NY)—who reached on a nine-pitch walk—made it a 5-3 game after a fielder's choice resulted in a wild throw to the plate. Thomas Wheeler '12 (Minnetonka, MN) capped off the inning with a line-drive single to right, scoring Mike Samela '12 (Westport, CT) to put Amherst within one run of Bowdoin.
Amherst loaded the bases in the seventh inning and used four RBI-singles to score four runs. The Polar Bears got two back in the top of the eighth, but the hosts came right back with six runs in the bottom half of the frame to bring the score to 14-7. Merrigan led Amherst with a 3-for-5 performance, while Comizio went 3-for-4 for Bowdoin.
Amherst used three pitchers in the game, but it was Driscoll who picked up his second win of the season by allowing only two runs—one earned—on three hits in four innings of relief. Drew LoRusso '13 took the loss by surrendering four runs in two innings of relief for Bowdoin.
The second game was never in doubt for the Jeffs, who scored three runs in the second, three in the third and two in the fifth, while Bowdoin got its lone run in the seventh. Shepard (2-1) pitched five shutout innings for Amherst, allowing only one hit and one walk while striking out three. Healy earned the save by pitching four effective innings of relief, surrendering one run on three hits to go with three strikeouts. Christian Martin '14 (2-1) picked up the loss after allowing eight runs in the first 4.2 innings.
The Lord Jeffs will return to action Tuesday, Apr. 5, when they host Keene State at 3:30 p.m.
GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE
