The first outing of the trip was a 5-0 victory over Hamilton. On the mound for Amherst was last year's NESCAC Player of the Year Lauren Peloquin '02. The complete game shutout she tossed was just the first of four such performances; she also fanned 16 batters and allowed just four hits over the seven innings. The win also gave Peloquin yet another school record, as she passed Co-head coach Jen Shea '98 for most wins in a Jeff career, posting her 41st win in the first game of her junior year.
"Lauren is a dominating force on the mound," said Co-captain Meg Nelson '01 of the Amherst ace.
Offensively, the Jeffs were just warming up. Co-captain Carline Kelly '01 led the way going 2-3 with three RBIs. Kelly finished the trip batting .353 (12-34) with no strikeouts and an on-base percentage of .436. In the night half of the day/night doubleheader, the Amherst offense exploded and pushed a school record-tying 26 runs accross the plate in a 26-12 win. Going the distance for Amherst on the mound was hurler Emily Melia '03, who also contributed two hits to the cause. Also swinging well for the Jeffs was Nelson, who went 2-4 with her first home run of the year. Missy Mordy '03 had two singles a double with two RBIs, and Tamara Baer '03 had another three hits.
Next up on the schedule were the Polar Bears of Bowdoin, on March 20. The 3-0 win was the last NESCAC competition during the break for Amherst, which meant a 3-0 record in the league. Peloquin turned in another amazing performance on the mound, a complete game one hitter with eight Ks. The no-no was broken up in the seventh when a bloop single fell into shallow left center, the only baserunner of the game for Bowdoin.
On the offensive side, Kelly went 2-3 with two singles ,and Nelson would line two doubles resulting in two RBIs. Nelson also had a successful week overall at the plate, finishing with a .414 batting average (12-34), a .500 on-base and an impressive .793 slugging percentage. She also leads the team in RBIs with seven.
The Jeffs and Melia had a tougher time with their next opponent, Pine Manor College, that night. Though the Jeffs were in control for most of the game, things began to unravel in the fifth when a few quick hits resulted in a three-run inning and the loss. Again there were a few bright spots as Co-captains Kelly and Nelson continued to swing hot bats (two hits each with three singles and a double between them).
On March 21, the Jeffs took on Framingham State College and came out on top, 3-0. Peloquin was unhittable again, tossing the complete game one-hitter with 13 Ks. She also had an RBI single, as did Baer. Nelson belted another double and Erin Dittus '03 chipped in with two singles of her own.
The night air cooled the Amherst bats against UMass-Dartmouth and the Jeffs fell once more, this time 4-1. Melia was on the mound, throwing another complete game. Unfortunately, the four runs on six hits was too much this time and her record fell to 1-2, though it does not reflect her overall performance.
"Pitching is obviously our strength, in the games we lost the problem was hitting. We just didn't get the timely hits," said Kelly.
Amherst continued its pattern when it took on Plymouth State College and St. Ambrose College on March 22. The morning game versus Plymouth would see the first and only earned run of the week for Peloquin (though it was still a complete game, four hit, 12 K outing) and also Nelson's second home run as the Jeffs took the victory, 2-1. Gina Scribner '04 accounted for the second run with an RBI single. Scribner's now awakened bat would be an asset through the rest of the tour (she would finish batting .355, 11-31).
Against St. Ambrose Melia pitched what was arguably her best game, a one-run three-hitter. Scribner knocked two singles, while Kelly and Mordy each added another, as Amherst fell 1-0.
The next morning, the Jeffs faced another 1-0 score but this time were on the winning end against Hamline. Peloquin's third complete game one hitter included another ten Ks, bringing her total on the week to an amazing 59. Scribner had the game-winning RBI, one of two singles, and Melia and Nelson had three and two hits respectively.
The final game of the week was that night against Buffalo State College. Amherst lost another tough one, 3-2. Though Melia's record fell to 1-4, she was a key contributor at the plate, leading the team with a .429 batting average. Scribner and Baer had two hits each in the losing effort.
"I think we were all a little bit nervous about our hitting and about how people would perform in their new positions," said Peloquin of the week. "Everyone played really well, and the girls who found themselves in new positions, namely Shari [Sakamoto '01] [Nelson] and Becca [Binder '02], did an outstanding job."
The Jeffs will take on Clark University on Hills Field tomorrow at 4:00 and will face Wesleyan University on either Saturday or Sunday, weather permitting.