CLINTON, N.Y. -- The Amherst College baseball team dropped a pair of games to NESCAC West Division rival Hamilton Sunday, falling 2-1 in game one and losing a 20-10 decision in the nightcap.
The Mammoths are now 7-5-1 overall and 0-2 in conference play. They are at Westfield State Tuesday for a 4 p.m. first pitch.
GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS:
* This game was a pitcher's duel between the Mammoth's
Nicholas Giattino and the Continentals' Jack Eshleman. Amherst nearly took the lead in the top of the first.
Jack McDermott lined a one-out single and took second when the outfielder bobbled the ball. With two outs,
Luke Padian came through with a line drive single to left, but Hamilton's left fielder Taylor Kauffman made a perfect throw home to throw out McDermott on a bang-bang play at the plate.
* In the bottom of the first, Giattino stranded Continentals on second and third, inducing a fly out to left fielder
Jack Dove to end the frame. He stranded another runner in scoring position on the second, beginning a string of four five straight outs.
* Hamilton took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth with a two-out triple. They added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth for a 2-0 lead. Amherst biggest threat after the first was a two-out triple by
Jack Boyle in the sixth. A strikeout ended that inning.
* Down 2-0 in the top of the seventh, Padian ave the Mammoths hope with a long blast to right field for a solo home run -- his second in as many games -- to make it 2-1. But after Eshleman retired
Jackson Reydel on a groundout, Hamilton reliever Jackson Sattinger struck out both batters he faced to end the game.
* Giattino was the hard-luck loser, going 5 2/3 innings and allowing four hits and two runs, both earned, while walking three and striking out five. Padian finished 2 for 3 with an RBI and runs scored. The Mammoths had four hits in the loss.
GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS:
* Hamilton took control with a 10-run bottom of the second inning. The Mammoths had taken the lead in the top of the frame when Reydel ripped a double, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Dove's sacrifice fly.
* Amherst scored three times in the third to make it a 10-4 game. It would be as close at they get. McDermott had an RBI-double,
Ryan McIntyre had a sacrifice fly and Padian lined an RBI-single.
* McDermott went 3 for 3 with 3 runs scored and an RBI.
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Jacob Ribitzki took the loss.