AMHERST, Mass. -- Saturday was one of the most improbable days in the history of the Amherst College baseball program as the Mammoths fashioned walk-off win in both ends of a doubleheader with Tufts, sweeping the twinbill by coming back from a eight-run deficit in the nightcap to win 9-8.
Tyler McCord's two-run double with no outs in the bottom of the seventh of game one had given Amherst a stunning 3-2 win.
Charlie LaFreniere's no-out RBI-single in the bottom of the ninth in game two completed an Amherst rally from an 8-0 deficit in the seventh innings and gave Amherst a 9-8 win.
It was a dramatic turn of events for Amherst, which had fallen to the Jumbos 10-5 on Friday in the opener of the three-game series. The stunning sweep improved Amherst to 17-7 on the season while Tufts fell to 17--7. The outer-divisional series had no bearing on divisional standings in the conference.
Amherst is back in action Wednesday when it travels to Willimantic, CT for a 6 p.m. battle against Eastern Connecticut State University.
Game 2: Amherst 9, Tufts 8
* Trailing 8-0 after Tufts scored six runs in the top of the seventh inning in the nightcap, the Mammoths answered with an eight-run seventh to tie the game.
Zander Carnahan walked,
Jack Darcy singled and
Aiden Dubetsky singled to score Carnahan for the first run of the game.
Ben Smith followed with a single to center that scored Darcy and cut the deficit to 8-2.
*
Carson Ames worked a walk to load the bases and force a pitching change.
Jackson Boyer drew a walk that forced in a run and
Leo Foust was hit by a pitch that forced in another. McCord's sacrifice fly gretted another Tufts reliever and made it 8-5. LaFreniere followed with a drive into left field that one-hopped the fence and scored two and made it a one-run game. Carnahan then drove an RBI-double into left-center that made it 8-8.
*
Naaveen Narayanan got the start for Amherst and pitched well, tossing the first five and allowing seven hits and two runs while not walking a batter and striking out six. But it was sophomore
Walker Dellinger who stole the show, twirling three perfect innings of no-hit, no-relief. He retired all nine batters e faced, striking out two.
* Dellinger's teammates made him a winner in the bottom of the ninth. Foust led off with a single to left, McCord followed with a single to center and LaFreniere delivered again with a single to right-center that scored Foust with the game-ending run.
* Amherst had 13 hits in the win. LaFreniere was 2 for 5 with 3 RBI. Carnahan was 2 for 3 with an RBI and run scored. Foust, McCord and Dubetsky were each 2 for 4.
Game 1: Amherst 3, Tufts 2
* The Mammoths trailed going into the bottom of the seventh inning of a seven-inning game and produced a very similar ending. Boyer led off with a double to left, Foust dropped in a single along the right-field line and McCord drove a ball into the right-center field gap that scored a headfirst diving Foust with the winning run all the way from first.
* The rally made a winner of first-year
Saahi Jetti, (5-1) who battled the Jumbos for a complete-game effort. He gave up 11 hits and walked four, striking out two, but stranded nine Jumbos on base and improved to 5-1 on the season.
* Down 1-0 in the third, the Mammoths tied it when Boyer led off with a double and, after an out, McCord singled him home.
* Amherst had 11 hits in the win. McCord was 3 for 4 with 3 RBI. Dubetsky was 2 for 2, and Boyer and Foust each 2 for 4.
