AMHERST, Mass. - Tying the game in the bottom of the seventh, the 25th-ranked Amherst softball team quickly plated the game winner in the eighth to earn a thrilling 6-5 comeback win over Bowdoin in the first game of the 2012 NESCAC Softball Championship.

Reilly Horan '13 (Darien, Conn.) paced a Jeff lineup that notched seven hits, going 2-for-2 with three RBI and a run scored, while Idalia Friedson '15 (Trumbull, Conn.), who led off the eighth with a double before scoring the game winner, went 2-for-4. Classmate Kelsey Ayers '15 (Los Altos, Conn.) also went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, while Kaitlin Silkowitz '14 (Scarsdale, N.Y.) recorded Amherst's only other hit.

Jeff starter Arielle Doering '14 (Branchburg, N.J.) pitched the first three innings before re-entering the game in the sixth, allowing four runs on nine hits with six strikeouts in five and a third total innings. Caroline Sealander '15 (Washington, D.C.), who initially relieved Doering in the fourth, logged 2.2 innings, giving up just one run on two hits.

Bowdoin's Gen Barlow '13 drove in a pair of runs, finishing the day 1-for-3, while Toni DaCampo '13, Caroline Dewar '12 and Hanna Wurgaft '14 each tallied a pair of base-knocks. Starter Melissa DellaTorre '14 went the distance in the loss, surrendering six runs (just three earned), on seven hits.

Hoping to kick-start an early rally, Amherst's Donna Leet '15 (Seattle, Wash.) drew a two-out walk to put the game's first runner aboard. Roping a DellaTorre offering into the right centerfield gap, Horan brought in Leet before alertly coming around for an inside the park home run after seeing Bowdoin's Hillary Smyth '12 lose her footing in the outfield.

Still down 2-0 in the top of the third, Dewar legged out a slowly hit tapper in front of home plate to put runners on the corners, before Barlow doubled to right center, tying the game. Answering in the bottom half of the inning, Ayers led off the frame by rifling a double down the left field line before scoring on a Silkowitz comebacker up the middle. With runners on second and third and one out, Carolyn Miller '14 (Leominster, Mass.) lifted a deep foul out to left, allowing Silkowitz to come home to make it 4-2.

Quickly responding in the top of the fourth, DaCampo led things off with a double to center. Amy Hackett '12 then singled in Bowdoin's third run before Casey Correa '14 doubled to right to pull the Polar Bears even. 

With Doering surrendering a fourth-consecutive base hit on Wurgaft's infield single that put runners on first and third with no out, Amherst called on Sealander to pitch out of a jam. Getting Courtney Colantuno '12 to pop up to short and Victoria Rusch '15 to line out to center, the first-year hurler walked Smyth to load the bases, but Dudzik made a nice over the shoulder grab at the edge of the outfield on Dewar's would-be bloop single to get the Jeffs out of the inning.

Continuing to go on the offensive in the fifth, Correa reached on an error with one on and two outs to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. Needing a big hit, Wurgaft delivered, flicking a single to right that allowed a hustling Hackett to slide under Ayers' tag.

Needing to get something going down 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh, Ayers hoped to start a rally, laying a bunt single down the third base line. Silkowitz then reached on a throwing error to put two on, before DellaTorre sailed a wild pitch to the backstop, allowing the runners to advance to second and third. 

With the bases loaded after an intentional walk to Leet, Horan lifted a sacrifice to right, plating a tagging Ayers. Getting Miller to pop-up back to the mound, DellaTorre avoided any further damage, retiring Dudzik to send the game into extra innings.

After a scoreless top of the eighth, Friedson led off with a double to left field, before Alyssa Sherwill '15 looked to advance her teammate with a bunt toward third. Sensing no play on the lead runner, Bowdoin hoped to take the sure out at first, but the ensuing throw sailed into the outfield, allowing the Jeffs to walk-off with the win.

The Polar Bears open day two of the Championship against Middlebury College at 10 a.m., followed by Tufts and Amherst at 12:30 p.m.

BOX SCORE

2012 NESCAC Softball Championship
Hosted by Amherst College * Friday-Sunday, May 4-6

Day 1 - Friday, May 4
Game 1 --- Amherst def. Bowdoin, 6-5 (8)
Game 2 --- Tufts def. Middlebury, 2-0 (8)

Day 2 - Saturday, May 5
Game 3 --- Bowdoin vs. Middlebury --- 10 a.m.
Game 4 --- Amherst vs. Tufts --- 12:30 p.m.
Game 5 --- Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 --- 3 p.m.

Day 3 - Sunday, May 6
Game 6 --- Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 --- 10 a.m.
Game 7 (If Necessary) --- Immediately Following Game 6