In the first game of the series, it appeared that Amherst would be on the losing end of a blowout. The Jeffs ended up coming back nearly all the way, but fell one run short in the end.
Senior pitcher Nick Kehoe started on the bump for the Jeffs and ran into a lot of trouble in the third and fifth innings. He surrendered four runs in the second and another four in the fifth. Overall, in five innings of work he gave up eight hits and nine earned runs. However, the Jeffs' relievers came in to quiet the storm, and Amherst's bats suddenly woke up. After scoring two runs in the bottom of the fifth, Amherst put up a five spot in the sixth and added another run in the seventh. Going into the top of the eighth, the Jeffs were only down 10-8, having been down 9-0 previously.
Leading the Jeffs' comeback was senior second baseman Mark Mazzone, who had a single, a double, drove in three runs and scored twice. Senior centerfielder Tom Scott scored twice and sophomore first baseman Nat Pedley walked three times, scored twice and drove in a run.
In both the eighth and ninth innings the Jeffs were able to get runners on base; they even had the potential winning run come up to the plate in the bottom half of the final inning. However, the Jeffs had nothing left, and their comeback fell just short. Overall, sophomore pitcher Mike Hinckley pitched two innings, giving up one run, and first-year pitcher Teddy Blank blanked the Ephs in two innings of work.
The following day, in the first game of the doubleheader, the Jeffs played a solid game offensively and defensively en route to a 5-3 victory. Getting the start on the mound, junior Chris Edgar made the most of his outing, as he lasted 5.1 innings and surrendered just three runs.
The Jeffs scored one run in the second inning, taking advantage of Williams' mistakes. After an error put senior outfielder Jared Banner on third base, he scored on a balk. However, in the bottom half of the inning the Ephs took the lead, scoring two runs on the Jeffs.
Down 2-1, the Jeffs came back in the top half of the third to take the lead for good. First-year shortstop Andrew Thal led off the inning with a single and Mazzone reached on an error that put him at third and scored Thal. Third baseman Brendan Powers wasted no time in picking up the runner on third with less than two outs, as he hit a sacrifice fly deep enough to centerfield to score Mazzone. Later in the inning, Banner doubled home Scott to add the third run.
The Jeffs added one more run in the top of the fourth when Thal drove in Pedley with a base knock to left field. In the bottom of the fifth the Ephs added another run, but first-year pitcher John D'Angelo came in and stopped the bleeding. D'Angelo pitched the final 1 2/3 innings to earn the save for the Jeffs, his first of the season. Amherst played error-free ball in the game and took advantage of the three Williams mistakes.
Having played two games in less than 24 hours, the two teams seemed a little tired and worn out going into the final game.While the Jeffs were able to play error-free ball in the second contest, they could not say the same about the third. The Jeffs made a total of four mistakes, but the Ephs were no better, making six mistakes themselves. However, Williams prevailed in the end with a 7-3 victory.
Senior pitcher Brian Donahue started for the Jeffs and went five innings, giving up four runs, though only three were earned. In the first five innings, the Jeffs were blanked and found themselves staring at a 3-0 deficit. In the top of the fifth the bats came alive and Amherst took advantage of three Williams errors to tie the game at 3-3.
Mazzone started the rally with a single and later scored on an error. Allar, who reached on an error, also was driven in on an RBI by Banner. Right fielder Will Lawton added the last run with a single that scored Banner. Although the Jeffs tied it up, they gave the lead right back in the bottom of the eighth, as the Ephs put up a three spot. The Jeffs were unable to score again.
Afer Donahue left the game, sophomore Ryan Platzbecker recorded two outs in the sixth and Blank pitched the final 2.1 innings, giving up three runs, but only two earned.
The weekend ended with the Jeffs dropping two out of three, but the outcome really could have gone either way. "Despite losing two games, last weekend's experience shows us that we are able to compete with a strong team like Williams," said Pedley. "As long as we play with intensity and don't get discouraged by early mishaps, we will have success."
The Jeffs return to the diamond to face Springfield College away at 3:30 p.m. today. The Jeffs will then return home for another big three-game series this weekend against Middlebury College.
"I'm confident that our hitting will improve and hopefully this weekend we can claim a playoff berth by beating Middlebury at home," said Pedley. "This weekend's series against Middlebury will be exciting and I encourage everyone to come out and support the Jeffs on the baseball diamond."
NESCAC Notes
After this weekend, Amherst and Williams are atop the NESCAC West, both with a 4-2 conference record. However, Williams has the tiebreaker with the series win. Tufts University is first in the Eastern section.