AMHERST, Mass. -- The timely hits -- and outs -- were missing for the No. 22-ranked Amherst College softball team Friday as it dropped a 6-1 decision to Husson University on the opening day of the 2022 NCAA Div. III Amherst Regional.

In the regional's opening game, No. 9 Viginia Wesleyan blanked No. 15 Rochester, 2-0, at the Amherst College Softball Field. Saturday's schedule features three games:  Virginia Wesleyan (34-11) and Husson (27-9) battle at 12 p.m., Amherst (24-8) and Rochester (26-14) face-off in an elimination game at 2:30 p.m. and the loser of the first game tomorrow will face the winner of the second in another elimination game at 4:30 p.m.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* Husson's Kenzie Dore drove in the game's first run in the top of the first when she smacked a triple to right that scored Kate Windsor, who had drawn a lead-off walk. 

* Amherst tied the game in its half of the first when lead-off hitter Megan Taketa lined a shot to left that went for a triple and Rachel Lovejoy followed with a little looper that fell in for an RBI-single over shortstop,

* Husson hurler McKenna Smith and Mammoth counterpart Dani Torres Werra dueled from the circle, each wiggling out of jams to keep the score knotted 1-1 through four frames.

* In the Eagles fifth, Windsor reached on an infield single and an error put runners on first and second with no outs. Torres Werra induced a long fly out and a strikeout. With Eagles now on second and third with two outs, it was senior Meagan Gosselin whose opposite-field single to right broke the 1-1 tie. Brianne McCabe followed with a hard grounder back through the circle for an RBI-single that made it 3-1. Katie Raymond blooped a single over third and another run scored on an error on the play for a three-run Husson lead.

* In the Husson sixth, Dore launched a two-run homer to right center to make it 6-1. She finihed 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs.

* Smith retired a string of eight straight Mammoths from the bottom of the fourth until the seventh, when Randi Finkelstein drew a lead-off walk, Sadie Pool reached on an error and America Rangel sacrificed them to second and third before Smith retired the final two Mammoths to end the game. Smith improved to 18-3 with a complete game four-hitter, striking out fve. 

* Taketa was 2 for 4 with two triples in the loss for the Mammoths. Torres Werra had a single.