Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- These late-inning dramatic home runs are becoming par tof the 2023 Amherst College softball team's story very quickly.

Tuesday, it was senior Sadie Pool with a deciding home run in the 8th inning. Wednesday, first junior Randi Finkelstein (game one) and then senior Rachel Lovejoy (game two) smacked deciding home runs in the Mammoths' final at-bat.

Finkelstein's walk-off blast in the bottom of the seventh lifted Amherst to a 3-2 win over Hamline University and Lovejoy's three-run blast in the top of the 9th gave the Mammoths an 8-6 victory over Loras College. The sweep ran the Amherst win streak to five as the Mammoths improved to 5-1 on the season. 

Thursday Amherst is scheduled to battle Wheaton (MA) at 2 p.m. and Meredith at 4:30 p.m.

Game One:

Amherst took a 1-0 lead in the first when Megan Taketa tripled leading off the frame and scored on America Rangel's single to center. Trailing 2-1 entering the bottom of the sixth, Amherst rallied when Sadie Pool led off with a double and was sacrificed to third by Jess Butler. Dani Torres Werra came to the plate and stroked an RBI-single to right field that tied the game, 2-2. 

In the top of the 7th, Mammoth pitcher Abby Moravek worked around a one-out walk and bunt single by striking out the next two batters. That set the stage for Finkelstein, who hit a screaming liner on an 0-1 pitch for the game-winning homer to center field leading off the center. 

That made a winner out of Moravek (2-0) who allowed three hits and one unearned one over three innings of work, walking one while striking out six. Audrey Orlowski got the start for Amherst and threw four innings of two-hit ball. She was charged with one earned run, walked one and fanned three batters.

Taketa stayed red-hot at the dish, going 3 for 3 with a run scored, while Torres Werra hit 2 for 3 with an RBI.

Game 2:

Amherst built a 4-0 lead with a run in the first and three in the top of the third. Taketa led off the game with a double and scored two batters later when Autumn Lee's fly ball was misplayed for an error.  Taketa got things going in the third as well, lacing a one-out single. A bloop off the bat of Lovejoy went for a single and Lee walked to load the bases, Sadie Pool ripped a single to center that scored one run for a 2-0 lead. A walk to Butler forced in Lovejoy with the third run and that was followed by Rangel's RBI-line drive single to center. 

Loras rallied to plate five runs in the bottom of innings to take a 5-4 lead.  It stayed 5-4 until the top of the seventh. Lovejoy opened the inning by reaching on a two-base error. Lee than put down a bunt and reached on an error that allowed Lovejoy to score the tying run. 

Dylan Briggs was placed on second to start the decisive 9th for Amherst. Taketa then beat out a bunt single, putting runners on the corners before she took second on defensive indifference. That brought up Lovejoy, who had homered in a game Tuesday. his time she connected on a 1-1 pitch for a three-run homer to left field. 

Briggs earned the win from the circle, tossing six shutout innings of relief. She gave up only four hits and two walks while striking out one.

Taketa was 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored for the Mammoths. Lovejoy was 2 for 5 with 3 RBI and 3 runs scored.