AMHERST, Mass. – Leading 9-8 in the fifth inning, first-year
Abby Rebhan and senior
Dani Torres Werra slugged back-to-back home runs to extend Amherst's margin to 12-8, helping the Amherst College Softball team hold firm for a 12-8 victory over Bowdoin College in game one. The second game saw Bowdoin ride an early lead to defeat the Mammoths 11-7.
The split moved the Mammoths to 12-7 overall and 3-7 in the conference. Bowdoin progressed to 10-14 on the season and 1-9 in NESCAC play. Amherst will host Springfield College next on Wednesday (April 16
th), where they'll face the Pride in a doubleheader at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on the Amherst Softball Field.
Game One: Amherst College 12, Bowdoin College 8:
*Two runs gave Bowdoin the lead in the top of the first as junior Chloe Garcia hit a single down the right field line to make it 2-0.
*Senior
America Rangel singled to second base to lead off the bottom of the first, moving to second after a single from first-year
Lulu Leppard. Both runners crossed the plate as Rebhan hit a double to center field. With two outs, junior
Dylan Briggs plated two more runs with a double to center field, 4-2.
*The Polar Bears found the equalizer in the top of the second with a double-RBI homer, 4-4.
*Rebhan closed the second with an RBI single to left center, leading Leppard to plate a run and regain the lead for the Mammoths, 5-4.
*After strong pitching kept the visitors hitless in the third, Amherst finished the frame by adding two more runs. First-year
May Mishima and junior
Olivia Aitkin both drew singles before sophomore
Heidi Li hit an RBI single to left center to lead both Mishima and Aitkin to score a run, 7-4.
*The Mammoths continued their batting streak heading into the fourth as a two-RBI double from Aitkin put Amherst ahead 9-4.
*Bowdoin weakened the margin to 9-8 with a four-run fifth inning. After the stanza opened with two singles, senior Sydney Lang homered to left field to notch three points for the Polar Bears. First-year Maddie Paschke followed up with a single down the right field line to add one more run.
*Amherst opened the fifth with a walk. The Mammoths then plated two runs as Rebhan smashed a homer to left center. Torres Werra quickly followed up with an impressive home run of her own to make it 12-8.
Game Two: Bowdoin College 11, Amherst College 7:
*Three singles and a groundout led to three Bowdoin runs in the visitors' first turn at the plate.
*Rebhan hit a sacrifice fly to left field in the bottom of the first, leading Rangel to plate a run and close the gap to 3-1.
*Bowdoin drew four runs in the second frame to extend their lead to 7-1. Senior Kyla Gary hit a double to left center to send sophomore Penelope Fong-Picariello and junior Anika Ewert past the plate. Sophomore Elise Siciliano added another run with a triple to center field. Junior Chloe Garcia closed the effort with another double that brought Siciliano home.
*Briggs made her way around the diamond at the start of the second inning after hitting a double down the left field line. Se scored as junior
Abby Kong hit an RBI single to right field, 7-2.
*Amherst continued to weaken Bowdoin's lead in the third as Torres Werra singled to right field and Aitkin reached on a fielder's choice, both efforts producing a run each for the Mammoths to make it 7-4.
*The gap closed to 7-5 as Rebhan hit a sacrifice fly to center field in the fifth, plating Leppard a run.
*Bowdoin added a point in the sixth as junior Liv Barrett hit an RBI single.
*The visitors extended their lead to 11-5 in the seventh as a sacrifice fly, a double, and a triple plated three runs for Bowdoin.
*Amherst gained momentum in the final frame, scoring two runs on a Rebhan single and a double from Torres Werra, but the effort wasn't enough to capture the lead as the contest closed 11-7.
