CLERMONT, Fla. -- The Amherst College softball team dropped a pair of hard-fought games to two powerhouses of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tuesday at the Legends Way Complex, falling 7-3 to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and losing an epic battle to UW-Stevens Point, 4-1.

The Mammoths fell to 1-5. They are off Wednesday but get back into the fray Thursday at Hancock Park with a 9 a.m. contest versus Western New England University and an 11:15 a.m. game vs. Union (NY) College. 

Game 2: UWSP 4, Amherst 1

* The second game Tuesday featured a pitcher's duel between Mammoth sophomore Abby Moravek and Pointers' pitcher Morgan Harwood. Neither team could score through the first five frames. Moravek wiggled out of a jam in the bottom of the first after giving up a lead-off double. A wild pitch, walk and bloop infield single loaded the bases for Stevens Point, but Mammoth shortstop America Rangel snared a line drive and raced to third, doubling off the runner their for an inning-ending double play. 

* Moravek stranded eight runners through the first  five frames. In the second with runners on second and third and two outs, she fanned lead-off hitter Jesse Klicker to end the threat. In the fifth, she induced a fly ball to center with the bases loaded and two outs to keep the game scoreless.

* Amherst broke through in the sixth off Pointer reliever Ashley Zygowski. With one out, Li roped a double to left and with two outs, Nordstrom came through with a hard grounder back uo the middle that got through for an RBI-single and a 1-0 lead. 

* UWSP threatened in the sixth. A walk and infield single put runners on first and second with one out. Moravek came through with a big strikeout for the second out and that brough up Klicker, who drove an opposite-field shot to deep right. Mammoth right fielder Olivia Aitken made a valiant diving attempt for the ball in the corner right near the foul line, but the ball eluded her and Klicker had a two-run triple and the Pointers a 2-1 lead. 

* Amherst had five hits in the game. Nordstrom was 2 for 3 with an RBI. Randi Finkelstein was 1 for 3 with a double, as was LI. 

* Moravek took the loss, allowing eight hits over 5 2/3 innings while walking five and striking out six. She was charged with four earned runs. 


Game 1: UWWW 7, Amherst 3

* The Mammoths trailed 1-0 but tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the first when Li singled through the shortstop hole and stole second. Nordstrom came through with a soft liner into center for a two-out, RBI-single that tied the game.

* Amherst trailed 5-1 but rallied for runs in the fourth and fifth. In the fourth, senior Sadie Pool led off with a single down the left-field line before being erased at second on a fielder's choice grounder off the bat of Finkelstein. After an error and an out put runners on second and third with one out, Dylan Briggs laid down a safety squeeze that scored Finkelstein to make it 5-2. 

* Down 6-2 in the fifth, Li singled but was erased at second on a Dani Torres Werra fielder's choice. However, Nordstrom lined a hard shot down the left-field line that Torres Werra raced around to score on, giving the first-year an RBI-double and cutting the Warhawks lead to 6-3. 

* The Mammoths had seven hits in the loss. Pool was 2 for 3. Li was 2 for 4 was 2 for 4 with a run scored and Nordstrom was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI. Aitken had the other safety.

* Torres Werra took the loss, allowing eight hits over 4 1/3 innings. She did not walk a batter and struck out four.