AMHERST, Mass. -- First-year Tristan Kim threw eight shutout innings of relief Friday, allowing the Amherst College baseball team to rally past rival Williams, 8-6, at Memorial Field, in the first game of a critical four-game conference weekend for the Mammoths.

Amherst improved to 11-8-1 on the season as it picked up its first conference win (1-2) of the season. Williams fell to 9-11 overall and 3-4 in NESCAC West play. The two teams are back at it tomorrow with a doubleheader, this time in Williamstown, beginning at 1 p.m.

It was the eighth straight win against Williams for the Mammoths. 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* Williams scored four times in the first and twice more in the second to take an early 6-0 lead. Kim came on after one Eph runner had scored in the second and allowed two hits and one walk as another run, charged to Amherst starter E.J. Nevills, scored. After that, Kim would allow only two more hits and two more walks over the next seven shutout frames as he fanned nine batters. 

* The Amherst comeback began in the bottom of the third when Jack Sampedro drew a one-out walk and, with two down, Ryan McIntyre reached on an error.  Luke Padian followed by ripping a pitch down the right-field line for an RBI-double that made it 6-1. 

* The Mammoths would score seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the lead. Jack Boyle led off with an infield single and Sampedro reached on an error. Jack McDermott lined a single into center field to score Boyle and make it 6-2. McIntyre then launched an opposite-field, three-run home run to right-center field that closed the gap to 6-5. 

* Padian continued the parade on the bases when he was hit by a pitch. Jackson Reydel ripped a single off the third baseman's glove. Jack Dove worked a walk to load the bases and, after an out, Ben Smith also drew a walk to force home Padian with the tying run. Boyle was hit by a pitch and that forced home the go-ahead run before Sampedro drove a ball into right. Dove tagged up and tried to score from third and slid in safely just ahead of the tag for an 8-6 lead. 

* Over the course of the final four innings, Williams would put five runners on base and Amherst four. Williams reliever Michael Amendola would toss  3 2/3 innings of hitless relief, walking three and striking out two. Kim would match that, allowing two hits and walking two over the final four frames. 

* Williams brought the tying run to the plate with one out in the ninth, but Kim struck out the final two batters he faced to improve to 4-0 on the season. 



BY THE NUMBERS:

* Amherst had eight hits. McIntyre was 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs and one run scored, plus a double and a home run. Boyle was 1 for 2 with a walk. Sampedro went 1 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored plus one RBI.