Theresa Kelley ’13 hit a two-run home run in the first inning, securing two of the only three runs the Jeffs would score in the first four innings. In the fifth inning Amherst extended its lead against WNEC 7-1 when sophomore Carly Dudzik scored on a passed ball, Reilly Horan ’13 scored on a single by Annemarie Iker ’12 , sophomore Joni Hirsch scored on a wild pitch and Christina Anderson ’13 scored on a single by senior tri-captain Jackie Tyler.
The Jeffs commenced their 2010 NESCAC season with a two-day three-game home meet against Middlebury College last weekend. The first game resulted in a 4-0 loss for the Jeffs. The game started slowly, as neither team scored any runs in the first four innings; however Chang-Graham allowed just three hits from the Panthers. The fifth inning saw the first two runs of the game by Middlebury with the first score resulting from an error by the Jeffs. The game ended with Amherst earning two hits and two errors, and the Panthers managing six hits overall.
The second game was an 8-2 win for Middlebury. The Panthers started strong, scoring four runs in the first inning. Unfortunately for the Jeffs, the Panthers held on to the lead, scoring another run in fourth inning and three more in the seventh. In the second inning Amherst registered its first two hits with singles from Horan and Anderson. Jillian Masi ’11 was the first Jeffs player to cross home plate. Dudzik was caught in a run between second and third base which allowed Masi to score. Anderson scored the Jeffs second run in the fourth inning. Middlebury finished the game with 13 hits to Amherst’s seven.
The last game resulted in a shut-out 3-0 win for the Jeffs improving their conference record to 1-2 (9-7 overall). Amherst scored all three runs in the fourth inning. Sophomore Stephanie Clegg singled to the left center and advanced to second on the outfielder’s throw, securing two RBI’s and allowing Horan and senior tri-captain Emily Neill to score. Clegg then later scored on a single by Chang-Graham.
Monday was an exceptional day for the Jeffs. They hosted Keene State College and won both games played. The first game ended with a 6-1 win for Amherst. In the first inning, the Owls’ Haley Chandler managed to score the teams only run; Chang-Graham’s impressive performance prevented Keene State from scoring for the rest of the game. She accumulated a total of six strikeouts and no walks.
Amherst first scored in the second inning after Anderson singled then advanced to second base due to a throwing error by the right fielder. This allowed already positioned Horan and Neill to score. Horan had another opportunity to score in the fourth inning when the Owls committed a fielding and throwing error. Anderson also scored on a single by Kelly in the same inning.
Both teams went all in from the start of the second game. Keene State’s Katie Bradford scored a two-out home run in the first inning. However the Jeffs caught up quickly when first-year Megan Kepnach hit a triple, after lead-off hitter Tyler already tripled, allowing Tyler to score. Later on in the same inning Dudzik scored on a double by Neill and Neill scored on a single by Clegg. The second inning was just as eventful for the Jeffs, as Dudzik hit a homerun and collected three RBI’s.
The Owls attempted to level the scoring during the third inning when Chandler hit a home run but the Jeffs held tight of the lead by preventing Keene State from scoring in the sixth and seventh inning and by attaining three runs in the sixth. The second game ended with a 9-5 win for the Jeffs, improving their record 11-7 for the year, and 6-0 for the non-conference games. Keene State drops to 10-6.