CLERMONT, Fla. – The Amherst women's softball team swept New Paltz and the Milwaukee School of Engineering in the penultimate double-header of the Spring Games on Friday afternoon. The Mammoths took the first game 3-0 before rolling their momentum into the second matchup, winning 2-0.
Amherst improved to an 8-2 record following the two shutouts. The sweep allowed them to surpass their win total of 2024 when they finished 7-28. The Mammoths will return for their final two games of the tournament, facing the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh at 10:15 a.m. and Simpson College at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Game 1: Amherst College 3, New Paltz 0
*The Mammoths opened scoring at the top of the second inning as sophomore
Anna Primozic blasted a home run to center field to give Amherst an early lead. It was her first collegiate home run.
*Both teams had scoring chances in the third inning, with first-year
Lulu Leppard reaching third base off of a double from senior
Dani Torres Werra, but neither team could cross the plate.
*Strong field work kept New Paltz at bay in the fifth and sixth innings as the Hawks netted zero hits. In the bottom of the fifth inning, junior
Olivia Aitkin caught two fly balls, and Torres Werra added another to shut New Paltz down. Aitkin stayed hot in the sixth inning, making a sensational diving catch runining toward the infield and diving head-long to snare it off the grass, and a flier.
*The seventh inning was led off by Leppard, who roped a single to shortstop and then made her way around the diamond, scoring on a Primozic double, her second RBI of the game. Junior
Dylan Briggs plated the second run of the inning, scoring off of an RBI sacrifice fly from sophomore
Emma Nordstrom to bring the lead to 3-0.
* Briggs improved to 2-0 with the shutout. She allowed only five hits and did not walk a batter while striking out one.
* Leppard went 4 for 4 in the win, while Primozic was 2 for 3 with 2 RBI, a double and a home run.
Game 2: Amherst College 2, Milwaukee School of Engineering 0
*After stealing second base at the bottom of the first inning, first-year
May Mishima advanced to third following a ground-out from Leppard, but her momentum slowed after Torres Werra grounded out to shortstop.
*The second inning saw the Mammoths struggle at the plate as Milwaukee sophomore Katie Pollock struck out two batters, and Milwaukee shortstop junior Caroline Fouras grounded out a third.
*Junior
Abby Moravek kept the Raiders' bats in check in the top of the third inning, striking out all three batters and allowing no hits.
*Both teams tacked on offensive chances in the fourth and fifth innings, but neither team managed to secure a runner around the diamond.
*Torres Werra put the Mammoths on the board first with a triple to right center, scoring Leppard in the bottom of the sixth inning. Briggs followed up with an RBI single up the middle, leading Torres Werra to cross the plate and push Amherst's lead to 2-0.
* Moravek pushed her strikeout total to double digits (10) after allowing a lead-off hit in the seventh, she struck out the next three batters. She has 22 Ks in her last 14 innings of work and has not allowed an earned run. She improved to 3-0 by allowing five hits and one walk while fanning 10 over seven innings.
