The Jeffs started the weekend off on the right foot Friday afternoon. Visiting Hamilton held a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third inning, when Amherst tied the game on sophomore Dave Levinson's RBI single. Then the onslaught began. After ripping pitcher Jamie Matthews for four runs in the fourth, Amherst scored 10 more runs in the next three innings on its way to a 15-2 triumph. The Jeffs torched the Continentals, totaling 21 hits, including seven doubles.
Junior designated hitter Joe Houkal led the assault for Amherst, going 4-5 with a pair of doubles and four runs scored. Houkal drove in a run as well. Brandon Cody '05 managed to cross the plate three times and also had a pair of doubles in his 3-4 performance. Shortstop Zach Schonberger '06 matched Cody's 3-4 while tallying three RBIs and a run scored.
On the mound, rookie Brian Donahue continued his brilliance, yielding only one unearned run in six innings of work. Donahue, who leads the team with a 1.62 ERA, also struck out six batters before southpaw Dan Schwartz '07 and righty Brant Ford '06 finished off the Continentals.
"We swung the bat well this weekend, we scored a lot of runs and felt some relief," said co-captain pitcher Duncan Webb '04. "Donahue pitched well in the opener and the offense took care of the rest."
The offensive display continued in the opener of Saturday's doubleheader, as the Jeffs breezed past Hamilton again, 6-0. A pair of first inning errors allowed Amherst to take a 2-0 lead and the Jeffs didn't look back. Centerfielder Paul Whiting '04 shined, going 2-3 with a triple and an RBI. Whiting also stole a base and scored twice, while Schonberger added two doubles and an RBI. Co-captain catcher Tom Sullivan '04 ripped a two-run double and Dave Levinson '06 added an RBI single.
The star of the game, however, was Webb, who hurled a complete game four-hit shutout. The complete game was his second of the season and the fifth of his Amherst career.
The Lord Jeffs couldn't carry their success into the second game of the twinbill as they lost 8-4 in a frustrating manner. The Jeffs loaded the bases in both the seventh and ninth innings, but could not capitalize on pitching by Hamilton's Chris Keen. Sophomore reliever Joe Vladeck couldn't hold off the Continentals in extra innings, as they pounded out four runs in the 10th inning to pull away. Amherst hit the ball hard without runners on base but stranded 13 runners in the game.
Andy Kerns '04 was solid on the mound for Amherst, going strong for seven and one-third innings, while striking out eight batters and surrendering only four hits.
At the plate, Dave Powers '05 blasted a three-run homer, his second round-tripper on the season. Third-baseman Josh Santry doubled twice for the Jeffs while Whiting continued his hitting success. Whiting finished the game 2-5 with a double and an RBI. For the victors, rightfielder Tom Bradley belted a two-run home run and had three RBIs.
Saturday's loss was particularly upsetting for the Jeffs because it came against a Hamilton team which has the lowest batting average and second-highest ERA in the NESCAC, has traditionally finished in last place, and will do so again in 2004.
Despite the loss, the two Amherst wins raise the Jeffs to second in the NESCAC West Division. As the top two teams in each division make the league playoffs, the Jeffs need to hold onto their half-game lead over Middlebury College. This weekend's series with archrival and league leader Williams College will be a crucial showdown. "This weekend will make or break the season. If we beat Williams, our chances of making the playoffs are very good," said a confident Webb. "With the offense putting men on base, we're confident that we can score runs and the pitching will hold them down."
Amherst faced 12th-ranked Trinity College in a non-conference game yesterday at Trinity. The Jeffs were held to just three hits in a 10-5 loss. Nick Kehoe '07 took the loss on the mound.