SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Sophomore Nick Fassert and first year Saahi Jetti combined on a 3-hit shutout Saturday afternoon as the Amherst College baseball team blanked Springfield on  on Archie Allen Field, 5-0, in its season opener.

Amherst starts its season 1-0, while Springfield dropped to 0-1. Amherst is scheduled to play a doubleheader with Ramapo at Trinity College next Saturday beginning at 12 p.m.

Amherst's pitching tandem of Fassert and Jetti surrendered just three hits to Springfield on the day and combined for 14 strikeouts in the nine inning shutout. Fassert went the first three frames and allowed two hits and two walks while fanning four batters. Three of his punchouts came in the first inning. Springfield loaded the bases with one out, sandwiching an infield single between two Fassert free passes, but the gritty righty came back to strike out the next to Pride batters to end the threat.

Amherst took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second. Justin Orridge drew a lead-off walk and Charlie LaFreniere followed with a basehit. With two outs, first year Jack Darcy crushed a ball to straigthaway center that went for a two-run triple in his first collegiate at-bat. 

Fassert came out after three shutout innings and Jetti came on to make his debut. After hitting the first batter he faced, he quickly gained his composure and struck out te next three batters. He retired 10 consecutive batters until he hit another Pride batter with one out in the seventh, and that runner was quickly erased on a double play ground ball. In the eighth, Jetti worked around a lead-off walk to retire the next three batters --two via the K. 

In the top of the 8th, the Mammoths gave Jetti all the run support he would need, scoring three more times to take a 5-0 lead. Orridge got things started again with a single to center. LaFreniere followed with an RBI-double to left that scored pinch-runner Leo Foust. First year Zander Carnahan the struck out but reached first on a wild pitch as LaFrenier took third. After Carnahan stole second, first year Carson Ames delivered a two-run single to center. 

Jetti came out to finish in the 9th and did not disappoint, striking out the first two hitters of the frame before inducing a game-ending groundout. The line for his collegiate debut was thus: 6 innings pitched, no hits allowed. He struck out 10 and walked only 2. 

BY THE NUMBERS:

* LaFreniere with 3 for 4 with an RBI and 2 runs scored. Ames was 2 for 3 with 2 RBI. Amherst had 7 hits in all.