AMHERST, Mass. – Hosting Bowdoin College in a non-divisional doubleheader Saturday afternoon, the Amherst College softball team improved to 5-0 on the year as they leaned on defensive play in the late innings of a game one, 5-4, victory before run-ruling the visitors, 10-2, in a five-inning game two to sweep the day.
Amherst returns to the field next Saturday, April 17 when they host Hamilton in a conference doubleheader. First pitch is slated for 2:00PM.
GAME ONE | Amherst 5, Bowdoin 4 | Box Score
Shaking off the bus ride to the Pioneer Valley right out of the gate, the Polar Bears jumped out to an early 1-0 lead as Katryna Dukehart ripped a two-out homer over the right field wall.
Responding in the bottom half, eight Mammoths came to the plate as Amherst saw four runners tag home to set the score at 4-1.
Rachel Lovejoy '23 got things started with a single to left center before a walk and wild pitch put runners on second and third. Driving a single to left field,
Sadie Pool '24 got the Mammoths on the board before back-to-back doubles by
Jess Butler '23 and
Maddie Procyk '24 scored three more Amherst runs.
Tacking on another run in the third, Amherst took a 5-1 lead after three consecutive two-out singles from
Randi Finkelstein '24,
Alyson Plaman '21, and
Talia Bloxham '22.
Getting back into striking distance in the top of the fourth, Bowdoin cut the Mammoths lead to 5-3 after a bases loaded single by Caroline Sablone sent Andrea Dorsa and Katelyn Cox across home plate.
Looking to even the score a batter later, Ruby Siltanen was thwarted by a clutch defensive play by right fielder
Megan Taketa '23 as she snagged a line drive while diving to the grass to record the third out.
The Polar Bears added another run in the fifth to make it a 5-4 game, but that is as close as Bowdoin would get to evening the score as a huge strike out by Bloxham with a runner on third in the sixth and a ground out with a runner on third in the top of the seventh gave Amherst the one-run victory.
Bloxham (2-0) earned the win in the circle for the Mammoths, tossing a six hit, eight strikeout complete game, while Siltanen (0-1) took the loss for Bowdoin, giving up 11 hits and striking out one.
Lovejoy led all players with three hits in the contest, while Plaman went 2-for-3 at the plate. Butler's two RBI were a game-high.
GAME TWO | Amherst 10, Bowdoin 2 (5 inn.) | Box Score
Wasting little time getting things going in game two, Amherst batted through the order in the bottom of the first to grab a 4-0 lead. Showing patience in the box, four walks combined with an
Autumn Lee '23 double down the left field line and singles from Butler and Plaman highlighted the opening inning.
Doubling the score in the bottom of the second, the Mammoths once again saw all nine hitters earn a turn at the plate en route to making it 8-0 behind six walks.
The Polar Bears looked to chip away at the Amherst lead in the third, with a Lilly Armstrong triple scoring two runs.
A run in both bottom of the third and fourth by the home team wrapped up scoring on the day, as the Mammoths needed to see only seven Polar Bear hitters to register the final six outs of the game and clinch the 10-2, five-inning victory.
Procyk (3-0) was credited with the win for Amherst, allowing just three hits and striking out six, while Abby Allen (0-1) allowed five hits and struck out one in 3.1 innings in the loss for Bowdoin.
