Facing some tough opponents both in and out of conference, the Amherst baseball team went 1-4 this past week to bring their overall record to 6-9.

The Mammoths suffered a tough week on the diamond as they dropped two non-conference matchups before losing a NESCAC series to the Middlebury Panthers. Amherst kept it close with Midd, taking one of the three-game series before dropping the next two to the conference foes.

On Wednesday, April 5, the Mammoths suffered a disappointing loss to Mitchell College at home. Down 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Amherst managed to make it a game after a clutch, three-run home run from junior captain Harry Roberson. Roberson, who has been absolutely clutch this season, is currently leading the Amherst offense in doubles, triples, and slugging percentage.

The purple and white then took their first lead of the game in the seventh inning as Anthony Spina ’17 connected for a line drive that plated Roberson.

Unfortunately, Amherst was not able to hold onto the lead. The Mariners pulled away with five runs in the eighth inning, ultimately defeating the Mammoths 11-6.

In their first NESCAC West series, Amherst hosted Middlebury from Friday-Saturday, April 7-8 at Memorial Field.
The Mammoths fell to the Panthers 8-4 on Friday, after a grand slam from Middlebury’s Justin Han put the Panthers up by three in the eighth inning.

On Saturday, the two teams split the doubleheader, with Amherst winning the first game 3-1 and Middlebury taking the second 6-2.

Max Steinhorn ’18 led the offensive charge in Saturday’s winning effort, as he went 2-for-3 at the plate and scored one of the Mammoths’ three runs. Steinhorn currently leads the team in hits and totes a .444 on-base percentage.

On the defensive side, senior pitcher Jackson Volle allowed only five hits and struck out eight batters to add to his impressive season average of a 1.53 ERA.

Amherst closed out the week with a makeup game at home against nonconference rival Wheaton College. Both teams came out firing, as thirteen runs were scored in the first inning. Three Wheaton homers, however, including two back to back in the sixth inning, helped to secure the win for the Lyons.

The Mammoths managed to cut the deficit to four in the fourth inning, as senior captain Yanni Thanopoulos sent Roberson to the plate with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.

However, that was the closest Amherst would come to overtaking the Lyons. The potent Wheaton offense continued to perform and earned the visitors an 18-8 victory.

Looking ahead, the Mammoths hope to get back on track with a win against Eastern Connecticut State on Thursday April 13. The team then faces archrival in a big NESCAC series this weekend.

They host the Ephs for a 4 p.m. game on Friday, April 14, before traveling to Williamstown for a doubleheader that begins at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

“All of our goals that we set out at the beginning of the year are still in front of us,” Roberson said. “There’s a lot of trust in the guys in our locker room to figure it out. The success that this program has had in the past years puts us in a bit of a novel position right now in terms of how important the upcoming weekend against Williams is for us.”