On Wednesday, Amherst swept Westfield State College, 5-1 and 6-2. The offensive star was shortstop Annalise Rodli '07, who accounted for seven of Amherst's 11 runs with four RBIs and three runs scored while going 4-for-8.
With no score in the top of the fourth, Rodli came to the plate with the bases juiced and two outs. She lined the ball into left field for a three-run triple. A single by first baseman Laura Trigiero '06 drove in Rodli and put the Jeffs ahead 4-0.
Westfield State put an unearned run on the board in the bottom of the inning, which Amherst matched in the top of the fifth courtesy of an RBI triple by third baseman Caroline Polales '07, and that was it for the scoring.
Co-captain pitcher Miya Warner '06 earned the win on four innings of work and six strikeouts, while pitcher Samantha Miller '08 earned the save, giving up just two hits and no runs in the final three innings.
Pitcher Maddie Tamagni '09 went the distance in game two to earn her first collegiate win. First-year outfielders Alexa Princi and Julia Cummings as well as Rodli and Polales all had RBIs for the Jeffs, while designated hitter/catcher Holly Trace '09 had her third and fourth hits on the afternoon.
The game was tied 1-1 until the top of the fifth, when Princi drove in co-captain outfielder Rachel Hoerger '06 to give Amherst the lead for good.
There was no rest for Amherst as Bates College visited the next afternoon for another doubleheader. Game one was tight the whole way through; Warner held the Bobcats to just five hits over eight innings.
With the game tied 1-1, a few well-placed bunts and a double scored the Bobcats two runs in the top of the eighth, and the Jeffs were only able to place one run on the board in the bottom of the inning.
In game two, Amherst exploded with 11 hits in just five innings, as the Jeffs crushed the Bobcats, 8-0. Trigiero, Cummings and Rodli had two hits apiece, and Amherst certainly would have scored more runs had the game not been called with the bases loaded in the fifth as a result of the mercy rule.
Miller earned the win, giving up three hits and striking out three in five solid innings.
The sophomore pitcher earned her third win of the year on Saturday at Brandeis University, coming in in the fourth inning as Amherst won 3-2.
But the hero on the day was Princi, who drove in the run in regular innings that tied up the game and then drove in the game-winner in the eighth en route to a 3-for-4 performance.
"The [first-years] have really been stepping up, especially these past few games," said Warner. "They've been contributing offensively in a big way."
Yesterday, Amherst dropped a close, non-conference game to Trinity College. The Jeffs scored early, pulling ahead 1-0 in the first, but the Bantams scored three runs off a home run by Ariana Mullin in the third. Designated hitter Ralina Shaw '08 had a pair of hits and an RBI for Amherst, while catcher Elizabeth Neckes '08 drove in two runs. Warner took the loss, her fourth of the year.
While the past week meant little with regard to postseason play, the Jeffs know what they have to work on, with conference doubleheaders against Hamilton and Williams Colleges this Saturday and the next.
"There've been a lot of games where we've been slow to get going, especially offensively, but we've pulled through in the end. We really need to be fired up and playing our best from the start, especially given the games we have in the next couple weeks," said Hoerger.
NESCAC Notes
Tufts University and Williams College remain undefeated and on top of the East and West sides of the league, respectively, with 4-0 records. With a 2.02 team ERA, Amherst is second only to Trinity; Warner leads the league in wins and is second in ERA.