CLINTON, Conn – Following a back-and-forth six innings, senior Dylan Briggs broke the Amherst College softball team out of a 2-2 deadlock with a 1 RBI groundout, leading the Mammoths to a narrow 3-2 victory over Hamilton College in the second game of their Saturday doubleheader at Loop Road Athletic Complex.
The Continentals led early and never looked back in the first game of the afternoon as the host claimed a 7-1 decision over Amherst.
Amherst moved to 9-21 overall and a 4-10 record in NESCAC play. Hamilton moved to 9-24 overall and a 2-14 record in the conference. Up next, the Mammoths will host Middlebury for a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon, when they'll face the Panthers at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. on the Amherst Softball Field.
Game Two: Amherst College 3, Hamilton College 2
*Sophomore Lauren Ro led off the first with a single down the right side, reaching second on a fielding error. Two walks drawn by sophomore Lulu Leppard and senior Abby Moravek then loaded the bases for the Mammoths. With two outs, a third walk pushed Ro to home plate and put Amherst on the board, 1-0.
*Walks put Hamilton on the board as well in the bottom of the frame, as two walks and a passed ball loaded the bases for the Continentals. Back-to-back walks then plated both senior Sofia Santana and senior Hadley Rogers, 2-1.
*Sophomore Abby Rebhan quickly notched the equalizer in the top of the second as she slugged a lead-off home run to left field, 2-2.
*Both sides were hitless through the third and fourth stanzas, and unable to put a batter in scoring position until the seventh inning. Sophomore May Mishima led off with a single up right center field, advancing to second on a walk drawn by Leppard. Briggs then powered a groundout that gave time for Mishima to cross home and Leppard to reach third, 3-2.
By The Numbers:
*Rebhan went 1-2 with 1 run and 1 RBI. First-year Juliana Abraham went 0-2 with 1 RBI and sophomore Miranda Mosqueda went 0-1 with 1 RBI.
*First-year Gwen Religa recorded 10 strikeouts and allowed 2 hits over 7 innings of pitching.
*Junior Aubrey Purvis recorded 5 strikeouts and allowed 5 hits over 5 innings, while first-year Lauren Farace recorded 1 strikeout and allowed 1 hit over 1 inning of pitching.
Game One: Hamilton College 7, Amherst College 1
*Following a back-and-forth opening three innings, Hamilton got on the board first in the bottom of the third as junior Gaby Guerra sent a single up center field to plate both senior Alexis Mayer and Santana.
*The Continentals extended their lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth. Sophomore Nikki Dyche reached on a single down the right field line, then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, then third on a single by sophomore Kelsey Vadnais. Finally, Santana plated the runner with a single of her own, 3-0.
*Senior Alison Zorn added one more for the host in the bottom of the next frame, lifting a double down the left field line to plate Farace, 4-0.
*Amherst picked up its momentum in the top of the sixth following an emphatic triple to center field from Leppard. First-year Annie Katuska then sent a sacrifice fly up the right field to finish Leppard's run, 4-1.
*Hamilton retaliated in the bottom of the frame, making it 5-1 as Rogers singled to left field and plated Mayer. With Guerra and Rogers on second and third, respectively, Dyche slammed the ball up right field to plate both runners, 7-1.
By The Numbers:
*Katuska had 1 RBI, and both Leppard and Briggs went 2-3 at the plate.
*Dyche went 3-3 with 1 run and 2 RBI, Guerra went 2-3 with 1 run and 2 RBI, and Santana went 2-2 with 1 run and 1 RBI.
*Moravek recorded 4 strikeouts and allowed 6 hits over 3 innings, while Katuska recorded 0 strikeouts and allowed 6 hits over 2 innings of pitching.
*Sophomore Yael Everett recorded 2 strikeouts and allowed 5 hits over 7 innings of pitching.
