AMHERST, Mass. – The Amherst College softball team powered five homers and totaled 17 runs on the weekend, however their solid performance at the plate was only enough to earn a game two victory as Hamilton College claimed the series win over the Mammoths, 2-1.

Amherst returns to action on Saturday, April 24 when they travel to archrival Williams for a doubleheader beginning at 2:00PM.

GAME ONE | Hamilton 6, Amherst 2 | Box Score
Jumping out to a 4-0 lead in their first plate appearance, Hamilton shut out the Mammoths until the sixth inning and were able to halt the Amherst comeback effort to clinch the 6-2 win.

• Five straight singles from Natalie Beebe, Kiana Arcayena, Anna Rasmussen, Samantha Smith, and Shelby McVey gave Hamilton a 4-0 lead after their first at bat.
• Adding another run in the second, Rasmussen singled to center to send Beebe home who doubled two batters earlier.
• Hamilton moved their lead to 6-0 in the fourth behind three consecutive hits to start the inning.
• Amherst's lone runs of the contest came in the bottom of the sixth, with singles from Alyson Plaman '21, Randi Finkelstein'24, and Talia Bloxham '22 and a Rachel Lovejoy '23 fielder's choice giving the Mammoths two scores.

Bloxham (2-1) took the loss for the Mammoths, giving up 16 hits and striking out three in a complete game. Beebe (2-0) was credited with the Continental's victory, allowing nine hits and striking out five.

GAME TWO | Amherst 8, Hamilton 6 | Box Score
Returning the favor with a fast start of their own in game two, five runs by the Mammoths in the first two innings gave the home team a quick advantage. The two sides traded runs in the fourth to set the score at 6-1, before a late push by Hamilton made it 6-5 heading into the seventh. Tying the score in the top half of the inning, the Continentals looked to steal the win, however a two-run, walk off homer by Finkelstein solidified the 8-6 Amherst victory in style.

• With runners on first and third following a Lovejoy walk to lead off the Mammoths first at bat and a Jess Butler '23 single, Maddie Procyk '24 made it 3-0 by launching a homer over the left field wall.
• Tacking on two more runs in the second, Procyk picked up her fourth RBI with a two out single to score Lovejoy before Bloxham was able to tag home after a throw down to second base on a Procyk steal.
• Getting their first run in the top of the fourth, Arcayena hit a home run to left center to get the visitors on the board.
• Countering in the bottom half, Procyk's second homer of the contest set the score at 6-1.
• Eight Hamilton batters came to the plate in a four-run top of the sixth to get the Continentals back within one before a two out double by Rasmussen in the visitor's final at bat evened things at six all.
• Quickly stifling the Continental's momentum, Amherst needed just two batters to secure the 8-6 walk off victory as Sadie Pool '24 singled to center to start off the bottom of the seventh before Finkelstein ripped a homer to left center – the Mammoths' third of the game – to seal the victory by the home team.

Both sides saw their pitchers toss a complete game, with Procyk striking out four and giving up seven hits to claim the win for Amherst and improve to 4-0 on the year. Claire O'Brien (0-3) took the loss for Hamilton, giving up 12 hits and whiffing four batters.

GAME THREE | Hamilton 8, Amherst 7 | Box Score
The Mammoths logged one-or-more runs in each of the first four innings in a bid to overcome a five-run start by the Continentals and tied the game at six all in the fourth, however with the score set at 8-6 entering their final at bat, Amherst was only able to cut the score to 8-7 as the home team held on for the victory.

• A single by Pool with runners on first and second got Amherst on the board in the top of the first before Hamilton plated five runs on six hits in the bottom half.
• Trading runs in the second, a two out single by Lovejoy scored Finkelstein before McVey tallied an RBI to push the score to 6-2 in favor of Hamilton.
• Chipping away at the Continentals lead in the third, a blast from Finkelstein over the left field fence following a single from Pool got Amherst within two scores.
• Erasing Hamilton's hot start in the fourth, the Mammoths used a single and stolen base by Autumn Lee '23 and two errors to deadlock the contest at six all.
• Retaking the edge, the home team plated a run in each of the next two innings behind five hits.
• Amherst looked to recreate the late game magic of game two in their final at bat, but despite a Finkelstein homer to lead things off, Hamilton was able to collect the next three outs to preserve the 8-7 win.

Procyk threw 2.0 innings in the start for Amherst, giving up seven hits, while Bloxham (2-2) was credited with the loss as she gave up six hits and struck out three in 4.0 innings in relief. Beebe tossed 4.0 innings to start the game for Hamilton, allowing eight hits, while Kaitlyn Fudge (2-1) gave up five hits to earn the win in 3.0 innings in relief.
 
 

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