This weekend was different-Amherst lost three to Williams College.
Amherst started off the week by extending their win streak to five games as they beat fellow NESCAC opponent Trinity by a score of 5-4. Co-captain Kevin Downes '01 improved to 2-1 on the season with the win, picking Amherst up in the sixth and pitching 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Two-out heroics in the seventh inning by Ryan Whitmarsh '01 put the Jeffs ahead by a run, and they never looked back.
In the first inning the Jeffs took a 2-0 lead, but it was short-lived. In the third Trinity scored two runs to tie the game, and from here the battle was on. In the fifth the Jeffs pushed another run across, but the Bantams took the lead in the sixth with two runs. In the seventh inning the Jeffs worked some two-out magic, stringing together four hits to plate two runs, culminated by Whitmarsh's RBI double. Dave Krauser '02 came on to pitch in the eighth inning, earning his first save of the season.
On Thursday, the Jeffs took on Brandeis University. Despite the three-for-four hitting of Whitmarsh and two hits from Brody, including an RBI double, Amherst was unable to overcome the strong performance of Brandeis hurler Cliff Smith. The Judges broke things open in the fifth with three runs on four hits off Amherst starter Chris Vecsey '03. Amherst was not able to rebound until the eighth when Brody ripped a RBI double down the line and Francisco Morales '04 drove a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Joe Katuska '03. But these two runs were too little too late for Amherst, as they were unable to capture their sixth straight victory.
The Jeffs then went to Williamstown for two of a three-game series against the Ephs. Williams squeaked past Amherst in the first game 4-3, and then took the nightcap 9-4. The Jeffs took an early lead thanks to a Jordan Krall '01 sacrifice fly and a homer from Co-captain Dave Siegle '01. However, in the fourth, Williams knotted things up at two apiece after a defensive miscue and a bases-loaded walk. Brett Nicol's '03 RBI single in the sixth drove in Devin Haran '03. The Ephs got two in the seventh off Jeff Leduc '02, who once again went the whole way, to take the opener.
"The first game we started out well offensively," said Downes. "A major defensive lapse just opened the door for some runs, and we couldn't recover. Losing a close game like that just took the wind out of sails, and we came out flat on Sunday."
Despite a first inning two-run bomb from rookie speedster Paul Whiting, the Jeffs were once again bested in the second game of the double-header.. A home run in the fourth put the Ephs up 7-2, which was more than enough for starter Adam Mancinone, who allowed five hits in six innings to improve his record to 6-0. With the win, Williams secured the Little Three title and first in the NESCAC West Division.
The Jeffs then went on to lose their fourth straight game, 13-2. Amherst gave up two runs on no hits and three errors in the second and then three more runs in the third to put Williams ahead with a comfortable 5-0 lead. Amherst pounded out 12 hits in the game, four of which came through Siegle, who went four-for-four with no RBI's. Whiting recorded the only RBI for Amherst. The Ephs' 15 hits and seven earned runs came at the hands of three Amherst pitchers, and Andy Kerns '04 took the loss to fall to 2-2.
"Had we played well, losses like this would be easier to take," commented Downes. "Granted [Williams] had as strong a team as I have seen, but we just played far below our potential."
This weekend will be critical for the Jeffs as they prepare for what will be their most important games of the season versus Middlebury at home Friday and Saturday. Friday's game will be played at 3:30 on Memorial Field and Saturday's double-header will begin at 1:00.