These contests provided Amherst with the valuable opportunity to give all three pitchers-Miya Warner '06, Hilary Little '07 and Samantha Miller '08-a significant amount of work. Each got at least one start over the course of the week. Warner threw 12 innings with two starts and picked up two wins, while Little pitched nine innings and gave up only three earned runs. Miller gave up three earned runs in seven innings of work, though the runs all came late in the Trinity contest. The highlight of the rookie's week came in game two against Westfield State when she pitched three innings of one-hit ball with three strikeouts.
Unfortunately for Amherst, the bats were not always in sync with the pitching. The chasm between defense and offense was most apparent in Wednesday's first game against the Westfield State Owls. Little gave perhaps her best performance of the year, going the full seven innings while scattering seven hits and striking out five. Had the game gone only six innings rather than seven, Little would have had a four-hit shutout. A leadoff home run in the seventh followed by two hits, a pair of fielder's choices, a steal and an error gave Westfield State the 2-0 win. While the late-game breakdown is unfortunate, a game can't be won 0-0, and the Jeffs' five-hit performance at the plate did not give Little the support she needed.
"Hilary pitched really well against Westfield State," said Hoerger. Little herself had two of Amherst's hits, while shortstop Annalise Rodli '07 and third baseman Caroline Polales '07 each chipped in with a single. Outfielder Rachel Hoerger '06 smacked a one-out triple in the third but was one of eight Jeff runners left on base. "Right now we need to get back to the basics," said senior co-captain outfielder Greta Anderson '05. "We need to make good contact at the plate. We've got the talent, we just need to refocus."
The third inning of the nightcap treated the Jeffs more kindly. Rodli reached second base on a throwing error with two outs and scored on an RBI double by Polales. Amherst added an insurance run in the fourth, another one-hit, run-producing inning. Second baseman Ralina Shaw '08 led off with a double, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by outfielder Kelly King '08 and scored on Little's sacrifice fly in foul territory down the right field line. Though Amherst only notched four hits, the Jeffs took better advantage of their opportunities, stranding just five runners on base. Miller, who threw the first three innings, and Warner, who earned the win, combined to pitch a two-hitter.
Warner drew the start for Amherst against Brandeis and contributed three flawless innings to start off the contest, striking out four while giving up no hits. The Jeffs provided Warner with solid support, scoring two runs in the first two innings. Rodli scored an unearned run in the first and in the next frame, Warner advanced her own cause by scoring after reaching on an error.
Miller had a strong outing, giving up just one hit and striking out one batter in the fourth and the fifth, and Little shut down the Judges in the sixth in similar fashion. However, things fell apart in the bottom of the seventh as a leadoff single followed by a sacrifice bunt placed a runner on second with no outs. Two more hits, a steal and an error scored two runs for Brandeis and tied the game. Despite a Polales lead-off single in the bottom of the inning, the Jeffs could not get on the board, and the eighth inning began with a Judge on second base as per the tiebreak rule.
Despite four innings on the bench, Warner returned to the pitcher's circle with a vengeance, keeping her cool to the tune of a groundout and two strikeouts. The Jeffs performed with their star on the mound, as rookie catcher Elizabeth Neckes drove in fellow rookie designated hitter Laura Smith to give Amherst the win.
The momentum from the Brandeis victory did not carry into yesterday's game at Trinity. The Jeffs suffered their worst loss of the season, falling 7-0. The story of the contest was Bantam Victoria Moshier, who pitched a four-hit shutout. Jeff first baseman Laura Trigeiro '06 was the only Jeff with a multi-hit game, stroking two singles. Hoerger continued to hit well, adding a double at the top of the third, while Warner took the loss for Amherst, bringing her record to 10-3 on the season.
"I hope that this [loss] was really a shock to us," said Hoerger. "We need to pick it up this weekend, because in the past we've had trouble against Middlebury [College]."
"We need to find that offensive spark we had in Florida. We really struggled at the plate against Trinity," added Anderson. The Jeffs travel to Vermont this weekend for a Saturday doubleheader. For the past two years, Amherst has come home from the Green Mountain State empty-handed, but this year the Jeffs must change that trend if they stand a chance at earning a NESCAC Tournament bid.