A first-inning RBI single by Middlebury second baseman Lindsay Ladd put the Panthers up 1-0 in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. Pitcher Megan McCarthy did the rest. She yielded six hits, struck out six and walked none in going the distance for her fourth win of the year.
And Amherst still could have won. Trailing 2-0 in the top of the seventh, senior second baseman Emily Melia led off with a single. Missy Mordy '03 then singled, putting runners at first and second. Della Huff '04 struck out pinch-hitting for right fielder Tamara Baer '03, but Kathryn Honderd '05 doubled, scoring Melia. Jessica Allen '04 reached on an error by Middlebury shortstop Kathryn Hurd, loading the bases for center fielder Rachel Hoerger '06.
But a comeback was not in order for the Jeffs. Hoerger grounded to Hurd forcing Melia out at the plate. Warner's pop-up to the catcher ended the game and gave the Panthers a 2-1 victory.
Amherst would have no luck salvaging a split either. Middlebury again staked itself to an early 1-0 lead, adding an insurance run in the sixth as it swept Amherst for the Panthers' 10th straight win. Once again, the Amherst bats were all but silent.
In the second inning, Amherst squandered perhaps its best opportunity to tie the game when it stranded first-year catcher Kate Raddock, who is batting .328, at third after she led off with her first career triple.
After that point, the Jeffs could manage only one more base runner. As good as McCarthy was in the first game, she was even better in the second. She outperformed even Warner, who tossed back-to-back complete games but nonetheless stands at 12-7 after the losses.
On Wednesday, Amherst hosted the Westfield State College Owls for a non-league doubleheader. In the first game, the Jeffs jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second inning, buoyed by DP Kathryn Honderd's RBI double, third baseman Jess Allen's two-run double, and Warner's RBI single.
After a second inning home run by Owls' center fielder Suzie Scott, Warner recovered, surrendering only one hit to the next 12 Westfield batters. She was one out from another 1-2-3 inning in the sixth when Westfield staged an improbable comeback. Two singles and two doubles later, the Owls tied it up at 4-4. A scoreless seventh inning sent the game to extra innings.
In the eighth inning, the teams exchanged runs, the Owls taking a 6-5 lead in the top of the ninth. Amherst would rally to win on a single by co-captain shortstop Missy Mordy '03. Warner scored from third and standout rookie first baseman Laura Trigeiro followed behind her, thanks to an error by Westfield's left fielder, who in her haste to make a strong throw home allowed the ball to slide under her glove.
The Jeffs and Owls played another close game in the nightcap, but this time, the Owls capitalized on a key error. Our shortstop Ashley Brogan singled with one out in the top of the fifth. She then scored when Trigeiro made an errant throw to first on Scott's sacrifice bunt, the ball skipping past a charging Huff in right field. This run was the only one scored the entire game.
Despite throwing five innings of one-run ball in relief of starter Emily Melia, Warner picked up the loss. More inauspiciously, the Jeffs had just three hits off Owl pitcher Leah Peterson. It was a trend that foreshadowed Amherst's dismal performance in Vermont.
Amherst resumes play Saturday at Williams in a pivotal conference doubleheader. Amherst will likely have to sweep Williams in order to qualify for the NESCAC playoffs.