CAC Tournament. Because Amherst took two of three from Middlebury, and Middlebury took two of three from Williams and Williams took two of three from the Jeffs, someone will have to be eliminated. Only Amherst has finished its conference schedule while Williams finishes with three games against Wesleyan University and Middlebury plays three against Hamilton College.
Amherst opened the week with a Tuesday afternoon home game against visiting non-conference foe Eastern Connecticut State University. Eastern Conn. received great pitching from Alex Narus, Trey Bongiovanni and Brian Wendell, who combined for a two-run and three strikeout day to lead the Warriors to the 7-2 victory.
Amherst rookie pitcher Ryan Platzbecker picked up the loss, tossing three innings and allowing two runs, both unearned while Ben Goldfarb '09 threw four innings giving up four earned runs in relief. Eastern Conn. strung together all seven runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings led by centerfielder Randy Re and second baseman Marc Garofalo who each poked three singles. Amherst senior outfielder Andrew Green-who leads the team with an amazing .416 batting average-started off a big week with two hits, an RBI and a run scored while first baseman Dave Levinson '06 had a pair of hits including a triple and an RBI for the Jeffs.
The weekend series at Middlebury couldn't have started off any better with a pair of undefeated starting pitchers; Amherst's Joe Vladeck '06 on the mound against Middlebury's Justin Wright. Both hurlers failed to disappoint, but it was Vladeck who took the victory, tossing his third complete game of the season-second in as many starts-leading Amherst to a 5-2 victory over the Panthers. Vladeck's line speaks for itself: 9.0 innings pitched, six hits, two earned runs and three strikeouts. Despite falling behind early 2-0, Vladeck shut the door on the Middlebury offense the rest of the way and the Amherst bats made enough noise to snag the opener of this crucial NESCAC West series. Pinch hitter Jared Banner '07 made his much needed return and did what he does best by igniting a sixth-inning rally that saw the Jeffs score four runs. "It was great to get back on the field. It was tough for me to sit on the side and watch my teammates for three weeks," said Banner. "I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to play anymore this season, but once I got out on the field I forgot about my shoulder. The only thing I'm thinking about now is earning a playoff spot."
Designated hitter Neal Allar '08 reached on a error to score Banner before shortstop Zach Schonberger '06 smacked a double to left field, scoring Allar. A single from second baseman Mark Mazzone '07 gave the Jeffs a 3-2 lead. Third baseman Brendan Powers '09 grounded out to first base plating Schonberger and catcher Josh Card '08 tagged a single to bring Mazzone in from third to give Amherst a 5-2 lead, which was more than enough for Vladeck who retired nine of the final twelve batters including the final six.
Mazzone finished his monsterous afternoon 3-4 with a run scored and an RBI while middle infield partner Schonberger went 2-4 with a run and an RBI. Wright also threw a complete game for the Panthers surrendering only one earned run on eight hits, picking up his first loss of the season. Ryan Armstrong had two hits and both RBI's for Middlebury while Joe Ramoin added a pair of hits and a run scored.
Saturday's doubleheader began with Amherst hurler Brian Donahue '07 taking on Middlebury's Jack Britton. A four-run sixth inning fueled the Panthers to a 6-2 victory behind a complete game five-hitter from Britton. Green lead the Jeffs with a trio of hits, a run scored and an RBI. Schonberger added an RBI and Card was the only other Jeff with a hit.
In game two, Amherst knew that a loss might leave them watching the NESCAC playoffs and Nick Kehoe '07 made sure that was not going to happen, firing a complete game masterpiece to lead Amherst to a 4-1 victory over the Panthers. Kehoe scattered five hits allowing one earned run while striking out five for his fourth victory of the season. "We all knew that each game of this series was important for having a chance to make the NESCAC Tournament," said Kehoe. "There was pressure during the game, but I knew that if I could keep the Middlebury hitters from having any good pitches to hit, the defense would take care of the rest, and our offense would score enough runs to win the game."
Middlebury's Steve Shortle went six innings, allowing three runs and earning his first loss of the season. Amherst jumped out to a first inning lead playing a little small ball. Green walked before being bunted over by left fielder Tom Scott '06 and a groundout from Levinson put him at third before Schonberger reached on an error, which allowed Green to touch home. The Jeffs added to their lead in the sixth inning with a two-run, two-out rally to give Kehoe a 3-0 cushion. Middlebury scored their only run in the seventh before an RBI walk from Schonberger in the eighth gave Amherst a 4-1 advantage. Middlebury pressed in the bottom of the ninth, getting the first two batters on base. But Kehoe reached back and whiffed John Lanahan before getting Nick Lefeber to ground out in the game-ending double play. The Amherst offense was paced by Green's four walks and Banner, who went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI.
While awaiting the results from the Middlebury and Williams games this weekend, the Jeffs will take on Trinity College. A loss by either Williams or Middlebury guarantees a spot for the Jeffs. "It is tough to have our fate in the hands of another team, especially because we had a chance to lock up our playoff spot this past weekend and fell short," said Vladeck. "But we're going to assume that Middlebury or Williams will slip up, keep working and playing hard, and keep our fingers crossed. We've got to keep up our intensity, because if we are fortunate enough to make it to the tournament, I think we would have a great shot at winning it."
NESCAC Notes
Bowdoin College and Tufts University look like they'll represent the East in the postseason after Tufts took all three games from Trinity over the weekend. Amherst, Middlebury and Williams will battle for the other two coveted spots in the postseason when Williams faces off against Wesleyan and Middlebury battles winless Hamilton.