MEDFORD, Mass. -- The Amherst College softball team saw its season conclude Friday with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Bates in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC Tournament played at Tufts University's Spicer Field.
Amherst finished 24-13 with the loss, while Bates, who will play in a semifinal at 5 p.m. Saturday, improved to 16-16-1 on the season.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
* The game was scoreless after six full innings as each team had scoring chances snuffed out by the opposing pitcher or their defense. Bates broke through in the top of the seventh. After a lead-off walk, Amherst starter
Dani Torres Werra was removed from the circle. A passed ball moved Bobcat runner Kama Boswell to second prior to a single to left by Cassidy Musco. After Musco stole second, Ella Maher blooped a single to center off Mammother reliever
Abby Moravek to score the game's only run.
* In the bottom of the seventh, Mammoth
America Rangel singled up the middle. She was sacrificed to second by
Megan Taketa and took third on a passed ball. But
Rachel Lovejoy's sinking liner to short was snared by a diving Maher, and Torres Werra popped up to first base to leave Rangel stranded at third with the tying run.
* Amherst had previous chances to score earlier in the game. In the fourth, Torres Werra led off with a stinging line drive that glanced off the pitcher's glove and went for an infield single.
Sadie Pool reached on an error and
Autumn Lee grounded a single back up the middle to load the bases with no outs.
Randi Finkelstein lined a shot down the third base line that was snared for the first out, and
Jess Butler's grounder to short resulted in Torres Werra being forced out at home for the second out. Moravek grounded out to short to end the inning.
* The Mammoths left nine runners on base in total through the seven inning game. They finished with six hits. Torres Werra was 2 for 3. Rangel was 1 for 2. Taketa and Lee were both 1 for 3.
* Torres Werra took the loss, allowing one run over six-plus frames. She gave up six hits and walked one while striking out five.