AUBURNDALE, Fla. -- The never-say-die Amherst College baseball team continued to liv well against ranked opponents Thursday morning, rallying from four runs down to score four runs in the sixth and seventh innings and hold on to defeat No. 18-ranked Babson, 11-8, at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex.
Amherst improved to 5-4 with the win. The Mammoths will face Framingham State Friday at 12 p.m. back at Lake Myrtle. Babson slpped to 7-3 with the loss.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
* Babson scored three in the fourth and the fifth to take a 6-2 lead and get Amherst starter
Matt Tabet out of the game. The Mammoth righty started strong, needing only 30 pitches to get through the first three frames, but ultimately would go five frames an give up five hits while walking two. He fanned three batters and was charged with six runs, only three which were earned.
* In the Amherst top of the sixth,
Ben Smith drew a lead-off walk and first-year designated hitter
Matthew Chen delivered a double to the gap in right center.
Aiden Dubetsky walked to load the bases for
Jack Boyle, who grounded a 3-1 pitch back up the middle that got the through the shortstop for a two-run error and made it 6-4. With two outs,
Ryan McIntyre reached on an error to re-load the bases.
Charlie LaFreniere made Babson pay for that mistake when he ripped a grounder through the shortstop hole to score two and tie the game, 6-6.
* In the Mammoths' 7th, Chen led off with a single and Dubetsky sacrificed him to second. Boyle was hit by a pitch and
Tyler McCord lined a single to center field to load the bases. Senior
Jack Sampedro then lined a single into the right-center field gap that scored two and gave Amherst an 8-6 lead. A failed pick-off attempt on Sampedro at first allowed McCord to scamper home from third for a three-run bulge. McIntyre singled to shortstop, just beating the throw at first and moving Sampedro to third. McIntyre was thrown out trying to steal second, but Sampedro raced home on the play for a 10-6 lead.
* In the meantime Mammoth first-year
Walker Dellinger was mowing Babson down from the bump. He struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth, retired the side in order in the seventh and worked around a single in the eighth, striking out the final batter. In his first three innings, he allowed one hit with no walks while striking out five and ultimately earned his first collegiate victory.
* The 9th got a little dicey through as a double was followed by a home run to make it 11-8. Sampedro came on to close and fanned the first batter he faced. Fellow senior
A.J. Zaccareo replaced Sampedro at first base and made a beautiful diving snag of a liner to his left for the second out. Sampedro then induced a pop up to second to end the game, earning his first save of the season.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* McCord finished 2 for 4 with an RBI and three runs scored. Chen was 2 for 5 with two runs scored, McIntyre 2 for 4 with an RBI, and Sampedro 2 for 6 with an RBI and two runs scored.
