Courtesy of Keene State Sports Information

KEENE, N.H. - Kaitlin Silkowitz '14 collected four hits and scored four runs to help the Amherst softball team split a doubleheader with regional rival Keene State on Friday afternoon. Dropping the first game of the twinbill, 5-3, the Jeffs used a big seventh inning to secure a 15-10 victory in the nightcap.

Caroline Sealander '15 finished 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored, while Reilly Horan '13 and Brianna Cook '16 had three hits apiece. Theresa Kelley '13 went 2-for-4 on the day, while Ashleigh Rutherford '16, Sarah McKay '16 and Donna Leet '15 also had a pair of base-knocks.

Closing out the regular season with a 24-12 (4-8 NESCAC) record, the Jeffs will hope to receive an at-large bid to the 2013 NCAA Division III Softball Championship when the tournament field is officially announced on Monday, May 6.

Trailing 1-0 in the opener thanks to a Horan RBI single in the third, KSC scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to take the lead. The Owls added three more in the fourth to go up 5-1 on RBI singles from Anna Glassman '16, Stephanie Long '16 and Sara Bracken '15.

Still down 5-1 in the seventh, Kelsey Ayers '15 singled to left before advancing to second on an error. With runners on second and third and one out, Leet singled home Ayers before Silkowitz, who reached on another Owl miscue, crossed the plate on a passed ball. With the visitors suddenly within two, starter Mariah Crisp '16 closed the door, getting Horan to pop out to first and Cook to fly out to left. 

KSC scored their five runs on six hits – all singles, while Silkowitz and Leet each had two hits for Amherst. Crisp got the complete game victory, giving up three runs (none earned) on nine hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. Junior Arielle Doering took the loss for the Jeffs, surrendering five runs on six hits in 3.1 innings.

Falling behind 5-0 in the second game, KSC scored four runs in the bottom of the third. Nicole Dupuis '13 had a two-run double, while Morgan Fallon '16 brought in another run with a ground-rule double. Behind Bracken and Fallon run-producing singles, the Owls tacked on four more runs the following frame to go up 8-5.

Amherst began its comeback by plating two in the fifth before breaking the game open with an eight-run seventh inning.  Sealander got the rally started with a single to left before going to second on a wild pitch. Moving to third on a fielder's choice, Sealander came around on a Kelley base-knock to right. A Rutherford single then loaded the bases before another fielder's choice plated two. Silkowitz kept the pressure on with an RBI single up the middle before Horan later brought in a pair with a one-out hit. The Jeffs tacked on two more runs on a KSC error and Idalia Friedson '15 pinch-hit single.

Eight different Jeffs accounted for the team's 13 hits, led by Sealander, Cook, Horan and Silkowitz who had two apiece. Bracken and Jessica Fiorenza '13 each finished 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI to lead the Owl attack.

GAME 1 BOXSCORE

GAME 2 BOXSCORE