Wesleyan managed three runs early in the third inning to go up 3-2, but then the game became the Nick Kehoe show. After surrendering two earned runs in the third, Kehoe proceeded to tear through the Wesleyan lineup, going seven strong innings with a ridiculous 11 strikeouts. Kehoe also got excellent run support from his lineup, as first baseman Nat Pedley '09, catcher Josh Card '08, and outfielder Will Lawton '10 each racked up hits in the fifth inning to help Amherst retake the lead; this time for good. First-year shortstop Andy Thal added some extra offensive support with a bases-loaded single in the eighth inning that knocked in the final two runs. First year pitcher John D'Angelo preserved Kehoe's lead, pitching two scoreless innings for his first save of the year.
Saturday proved to be much more of the same for the Jeffs as Wesleyan did not have much for the high-profile pitching of Edgar and Donahue. In the first game, Edgar glided through the Wesleyan lineup with ease, pitching a complete game shutout and helping the Jeffs secure a 4-0 victory. Amherst saw the majority of its offense come in the first inning, as Mazzone drove in third baseman Brendan Powers '09 with a single. Later in the inning, Scott roped a two-RBI triple that drove in Mazzone and Allar. Amherst scored again in the fifth inning as Thal reached first base on a walk, and was eventually driven in by Allar. Much of Amherst's success came from the production of its first-years, both offensively and defensively. Card noted how well the rookies have adjusted to collegiate baseball. "Our [first-years] especially looked comfortable in the field this weekend," explained Card. "Hopefully they will double-up on their accomplishments [in the upcoming weeks]."
The nightcap on Saturday saw another inspirational pitching performance, this time from Donahue who pitched six scoreless innings for the Jeffs, surrendering only four hits while striking out seven. Reminiscent of the earlier game, Amherst saw the majority of its run production in a clump as Schaller blasted a grand slam-his second home run of the year-to give Amherst a 4-0 lead in the third inning. That proved to be all the runs Amherst needed as first-year pitcher Teddy Blank followed the tone set by Donahue, pitching three innings of scoreless relief to preserve the shut-out. Blank finished with four strikeouts while giving up only two hits. Donahue credited his strong pitching performance to the team reverting back to the "Old Style" baseball that has helped the Jeffs in years past. "It was just dandy to get back to the 'old style' baseball that Amherst men are known for," explained Donahue. Fellow senior Tommy Scott, who has seen his solid career .305 batting average balloon up to .405 this year, seemed to agree. "Now that we're on a bit of a roll we hope to keep 'Old Stylin' hard for the rest of the season and into the playoffs," said Scott.
Next up for the Jeffs is a Wednesday afternoon game at ECSU, followed by a three-game stint at NESCAC rival Hamilton College next weekend. "Next weekend's series with Hamilton is very important", explained Card. "It would be great to head into our series against Williams [College] with a 6-0 conference record." Senior captain Jared Banner has been there before, and understands what it takes for this team to be successful. "We're looking to improve every week," said Banner. "If we do that, we can be a force in New England. Our main focus is to play hard and concentrate every day."
NESCAC Notes
Amherst is at the top of the NES-
CAC West with a 3-0 conference record. Williams College is second at 2-1 and Tufts University leads the East with a 3-0 NESCAC record.