AMHERST, Mass. -- With the season on the line, the Amherst College baseball team turned to veteran
Nicholas Giattino Saturday and, wow, did the senior right-hander come through, pitching a complete-game two-hitter in game two of a best-of-three NESCAC quarterfinal series with Bowdoin in his final start at the Mammoths' Memorial Field.
Giattino's gem allowed Amherst to walk-off 2-1 winners when
Charlie LaFreniere came through with a one-out RBI-single in the bottom of the ninth. That hit allowed the Mammoths to even the series and set up a winner-take-all game three. Bowdoin held a 4-3 lead after seven innings, but the Mammoths erupted for seven runs in the bottom of the seventh en route to a 12-4 victory and a stunning series victory, two games to one.
Amherst improved to 25-9 with the sweep while Bowdoin now sits at 18-17. Amherst will open the finals rounds of the NESCAC Tournament Friday, opponent and time TBA. It's a four-team event with a double-elimination format.
Game 1: Amherst 2, Bowdoin 1
* Amherst took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Jack McDermott had a one-out single to right and with two outs,
Jack Dove singled to right pushing McDermott to third.
Jack Sampedro then singled back up the middle to score McDermott for the 1-0 lead.
* Bowdoin tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the top of th fifth. From that point, Giattino retired 14 of the final 16 batters he faced. He escaped a second-and third nobody out jam in the top of the seventh on an infield pop out to short, a shallow fly to right and a grounder to short. He then retired the Polar Bears in order in the eighth and ninth innings.
* For the second game in a row -- including a 4-2 win in Friday opening game of the series -- the Bowdoin pitchers kept the Mammoths off the scoreboard.
* But in the Amherst ninth,
Jack Sampedro led off with single through the shortstop hole. Senior
Luke Padian then executed a rare and perfectly executed sacrifice bunt to push Sampedro to second. LaFreniere came up and ripped a single to right-center field. Sampedro scored with a slide into home plate and it was off to Game 3
* The Mammoths had six hits in the win. Sampedro was 2 for 3 with an RBI and run scored. LaFreniere was 2 for 4 with an RBI.
* Giattino improved to 5-1 on the season. He allowed just the two hits while walking four and striking out five. He was still throwing gas in the final frame. On his 102nd pitch of the day, he hit 91 mph -- a career fastest pitch for the veteran.
Game 2: Amherst 12, Bowdoin 4
* Sophomore
Ben Smith led the second game 16-hit attack by going 3 for 5 with 5 RBI for the Mammoths.
* The Mammoths took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second.
Jack Dove got things started with a single and took second on a wild pitch. LaFreniere and Padian walked to load the bases. Smith followed with a grounder through the shortstop hole and into left field for a two-run single.
* Amherst starter
Naaveen Narayanan shut out Bowdoin over the first four frames but would give up two in the fifth as the Polar Bears tied the game. After a lead-off walk in the top of the sixth, Narayanyan was removed for first-year righty
Yoon Chae.
* Amherst regained the lead with a run in the bottom of the sixth. LaFreniere reached on a one-out error and went to second on a grounder for out number two. Smith then lofted a texas league blooper to short right center that fell in for an RBI-single and 3-2 lead.
* Bowdoin would come right back off Chae to take the lead in the top of the seventh. Brito-Trinidad hit a lead-off solo home run to left to tie the game. Three singles and a sarficie bunt gave the Polar Bears the lead, but Chae escaped further damage with a pop up and strikeout that stranded runners on first and second.
* Down one entering the bottom of the seventh, The Mammoths got busy fast with singles by Boyle, McDermott and McIntyre to open the frame and tie the game, 1-1. On reliever Luke Chessie's first pitch, McDermott and McIntyre pulled off a double steal. A balk scored McDermott and put Amherst in the lead for good at 5-4. RBI-singles by Sampedro and Padian helped built a 10-4 lead after seven innings.
*
Tyson Luna relieved Chae with one out in the eighth and threw 1 2/3 innings of uneventful, scoreless relief to close out the game and series win.
* Amherst had 15 hits in the win. McIntyre and Smith were each 3 for 5. McIntyre had an RBI and run scored, while Smith had those 5 RBIs. Dove was 3 for 5 with two runs scored. LaFreniere was 1 for 4 with three runs scored.
* Chae earned the win, improving to 5-0. Over an 1 1/3 innings, he allowed five runs, all earned and struck out three.
