Courtesy of Wesleyan University
MIDDLETOWN, CT – Theresa Kelley '13 (Los Angeles, CA) allowed only five hits in a complete-game effort for the Amherst College softball team, but Wesleyan University's Dana Levy sent a towering drive over the left field fence with two outs in the fifth to lead the Cardinals to a 3-0 win over the Lord Jeffs Friday afternoon.
The Jeffs drop to 10-9 overall and 2-1 in the NESCAC West, while the Cardinals improve to 8-11 (2-2). The teams will begin a doubleheader Saturday at noon in Amherst.
The game was a pitcher's duel between Kelley and Wesleyan first-year Laura Getchell through four and a half scoreless innings, as Getchell had allowed only four hits and Kelley only three. After two groundouts to start the bottom of the fifth, Allee Beatty bunted for a single, beating a throw from Kelley to first base. Levy then pounded her team-leading third homer of the season to give Wesleyan a 2-0 lead, and a pair of dropped flies by Amherst on the next two Cardinal batters allowed a third unearned run to score.
Amherst got a runner to third base twice in the contest, including in the seventh inning as senior Jillian Masi '11 (Stamford, CT) reached on a throwing error and advanced to second base with one out. A wild pitch moved her to third, but Getchell got the final two outs on infield grounders to post her second straight NESCAC West shutout.
Amherst also had a runner make it to third in the first inning, but that came with two outs after first-year Carolyn Miller (Leominster, MA)—who had two of the Jeffs' five hits—singled deep in the hole at short. Miller then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Christina Anderson (Port St. Lucie, FL) and was pushed to third after sophomore Reilly Horan (Darien, CT) grounded out. A nice diving stop by Wesleyan second baseman Sam Epstein on a sharp grounder by Kelley was followed by a throw to first that retired the side.
Wesleyan got runners to second and third with one out in the bottom of the first, but Kelley quieted the threat by getting junior Alexis Kral to fly out to right. Talia Bernstein joined Levy with a two-hit game for Wesleyan.
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