AMHERST, MA - The Amherst College baseball team split a pair of elimination games on the second day of the NESCAC Championship, finishing the tournament with a 1-2 mark and closing out its quest for a third league title. 

The Lord Jeffs downed Middlebury College 7-3 in today's opener at AIC Park in Springfield, MA, before falling to Bowdoin College 6-5 at Memorial Field in Amherst, MA. Amherst, now 25-10 on the season and 13-11 overall in NESCAC Championship action, will await to hear about a possible at-large bid to the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

Game 1: Amherst 7, Middlebury 3
Amherst junior outfielder Kevin Heller (Brooklyn, NY)  smashed a grand slam to left center field, breaking a 3-3 tie in the top of the eighth inning in a 7-3 victory over Middlebury in the first elimination game of the 2011 NESCAC Baseball Championship at AIC Park in Springfield, Mass.

The Lord Jeffs survived and advanced to face Bowdoin in the second elimination game of the tournament at 2:45 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at Amherst's Memorial Field. The Panthers, who were making just their second NESCAC tournament appearance in program history, finished the season at 15-16.

Middlebury struck first in the bottom of the second inning when senior Andrew Somberg was credited with his first home run of the season. Amherst left fielder Brian Merrigan (Holbrook, MA) appeared to have the second out of the inning as he drifted toward the left field fence, however Merrigan's momentum carried him into the wall and the ball popped out of his glove and over the fence.

The Lord Jeffs evened the score with two outs in the next half-inning, as Merrigan came in from third when the Panther shortstop mishandled a shot to the hole by junior Thomas Wheeler (Minnetonka, MN).

Somberg put the Panthers back on top in the bottom of the fourth inning with a one-out single to right field. After senior Donald McKillop and junior Zach Roeder singled to lead off the inning, sophomore Michael Morris moved them over with a sacrifice bunt. Somberg's second hit of the day brought home McKillop from third, and Roeder scored when the right fielder's throw to third missed its mark and rolled past the Jeffs' third baseman.

Amherst would tie the contest once again in the top of the seventh. The Jeffs managed to load the bases with two outs, and sophomore Bob Cook (Winnetka, IL) drove in two with a single to right field. Amherst could not grab the lead, though, as the next batter popped up to end the seventh.

The Lord Jeffs would get the winning runs in the next inning. Senior Scott Schaffer walked to lead off the frame, and the Panthers decided to make a change and bring in sophomore John Wiet to relieve classmate Michael Joseph (Bala Cynwyd, PA). Wiet allowed a walk and hit a batter before Heller's heroics put Amherst in the driver's seat for the remainder of the game.

The Panthers went in order in the bottom of the eighth and threatened in the ninth, leading off with back-to-back hits and loading the bases at one point, however freshman reliever Cam Windham (Washington, DC) shut the door to earn the save.

Senior Ryan Healy (Westport, CT) got the win on the hill for Amherst, tossing eight innings and scattering eight hits while striking out six and surrendering just one walk. Middlebury's Joseph was effective during his appearance, which lasted over 100 pitches in seven innings for the no-decision. He allowed nine hits and three walks while striking out six.

Amherst left 11 runners stranded on base, while Middlebury had six runners left.

Game 1 recap courtesy of Dan Fisher - Asst. Director (NESCAC)

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Game 2: Bowdoin 6, Amherst 5 (10)
Bowdoin senior outfielder Brendan Garner (Swampscott, MA) laced a walk-off RBI double in the top of the tenth inning as the Polar Bears plated three runs in the final two frames, stunning Amherst College 6-5 in a NESCAC Championship elimination game at Memorial Field in Amherst, MA.

With the win, Bowdoin, now 24-14 overall on the year, secured a place in tomorrow's conference championship final against Tufts University. The Lord Jeffs fell to 25-10 on the season with the loss and will now wait to hear about a possible at-large bid to the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

Garner finished with two hits in the game, while junior Jordan Edgett went 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Senior Adam Marquit put together a 2-for-4 afternoon with a run scored, while senior Matt Ruane and first-years John Lefeber, Duncan Taylor and Kyle LeBlanc accounted for the rest of the squad's 10 hits.

Senior starter Ben Higgins went seven and a third, allowing four runs on five hits, while striking out six. Fellow senior Evan Farley, who entered the game in the ninth, pitched the final two innings, allowing one run on three hits in the win.

Amherst's Merrigan and Jose Espinosa (Ridgefield, CT) each tallied two hits for the Lord Jeffs, while juniors Heller, Mike Samela (Westport, CT) and Wheeler combined for three hits and four RBI. 

First-year Fred Shepard (Amherst, MA) tossed eight strong in the start, allowing just three earned runs on seven hits, while striking out seven. Windham, who entered the game in the tenth, took the loss.

Amherst wasted no time getting on the board, loading the bases in the top of the first on a Merrigan single, a hit-by-pitch and a Bowdoin error. With one-out, Wheeler lifted a sacrifice fly to deep center, allowing Merrigan to come home. 

With Shepard cruising early, having retired his first eight batters, Marquit recorded Bowdoin's first hit in the bottom of the third, finding a hole through the right side. After moving to second on a failed pick-off attempt before advancing to third on a passed ball, Marquit scored on an Amherst error. Looking for more, the Polar Bears loaded the bases on an Edgett base-knock and a Ruane walk, but Shepard bore down, striking out Brett Gorman to limit the damage.

Bowdoin again threatened in the fourth, quickly putting two aboard on Garner's lead-off comebacker up the middle and Taylors' bunt single, but Shepard made a nice play fielding Joe Comizio's sacrifice, cutting the lead runner off at third. The first-year lefty then struck out senior Dan Hicks before inducing a ground-out to third to hold the Polar Bear offense at bay.

Still hoping to tack onto the Bowdoin lead, Lefeber led-off the bottom of the fifth with a sharply hit infield single to third. After stealing second to get into scoring position, Edgett belted a towering homer to left, staking the Polar Bears to a 3-1 margin.

Managing just one hit through the first six, Amherst looked to get to Higgins in the seventh after Wheeler laced a one-out ground-rule double down the left field line. Cook then lifted a ball deep into left allowing pinch-runner Alex Hero (New York, NY) to tag up to third, but Huggins responded with a much-needed strikeout, smothering the Lord Jeffs' rally.

Continuing to battle, Amherst strung together several hits in the eighth, with hopes of tying the game. Espinosa kicked things off with a single up the middle before consecutive Merrigan and Taiki Kasuga (New York, NY) hits loaded the bases, spelling the end of Higgins' day. Reliever Jay Loughlin entered the game with hopes of protecting the Bowdoin lead, but Heller promptly laced a two-RBI single to right, pulling the Lord Jeffs even. Samela then lifted a sacrifice to right, allowing Kasuga to break for home, sliding under Taylor's tag to put Amherst back on top, 4-3.

The Lord Jeffs added an insurance run in the top half of the ninth on Espinosa's two-out RBI-single to center, setting the stage for the bottom of the frame. Hicks would draw a lead-off walk, bringing the tying run to the plate and Amherst righty Hayden Metz (Ridgefield, CT) into the game. Marquit then ripped a single to left before Edgett reached on a fielder's choice. Metz then induced a grounder to short, where Cook made a great back-handed stop in the hole, turning to get the force at second. With two out and the game on the line, LeBlanc hammered a double to left center, allowing Edgett to come all the way around from first, sending the game into extra innings.

Hoping to regain the lead, Amherst put two on in the top half of the tenth thanks to a Samela two-out double and a Hero infield single, but a ground out back to the mound quickly ended the Jeffs' threat. Gorman led-off the Polar Bears half of the frame with a walk, which brought in Windham. Looking to play the role of hero, Garner doubled to right center, bringing home Gorman for the walk-off win, securing the Polar Bears' place in the league final.

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