The Amherst baseball team opened its season this past week far away from the frozen dirt of Memorial Field. Escaping the frigid temperatures of western Massachusetts, the Mammoths traveled to the southwestern coast of Florida where they played a series of eight games in just seven days.
Action began on Sunday, March 11 in Port Charlotte, where the Mammoths took on the Cardinals of Otterbein College. Otterbein secured an early 6-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Before the end of the game the Cardinals managed to tack on an additional 10 runs. The Mammoths spent the entirety of the game chasing their opponents but ultimately came up short, scoring just five runs to Otterbein’s 16. Joseph Palmo ’21, Topher Brown ’20, Zack Horwitz ’20 and Sam Ellinwood ’18 had one RBI each, while Brown led all Amherst batters, going 3-4 with a run scored. Seniors Max Steinhorn and Ariel Kenney also had multiple hits, going 2-3 and 2-4 respectively, and Steinhorn was the sole player for the Mammoths credited with a stolen base.
Following the disappointing season opener, Amherst sought redemption and its first win of the season in a doubleheader against Wisconsin Lutheran on Monday, March 12. While Wisconsin Lutheran was first to get on the board in game one, scoring a run in the top of the first, Amherst did not wait long to respond. In the bottom of the second, the Mammoths had four players cross the plate, before securing the victory in the fifth inning with an additional two runs. At the end of the seven-inning game, the scoreboard read 6-2 in favor of the Mammoths. Third-baseman Nick Nardone ’19 had a big game for Amherst, going 3-3 with a run scored and an RBI, while Brown had another solid offensive performance going 1-3 with three RBIs and a run scored. Starting pitcher Davis Brown ’19 had a solid outing on the mound, throwing five and two-thirds innings with five strike outs and just one earned run.
The second game of the day was much of the same with, the Mammoths holding the lead for the majority of the game. Zack Horwitz ’20 came in to relieve Ryan Sholtis ’21 after two innings and pitched a solid four innings to anchor Amherst’s 5-1 win. Horwitz allowed only one hit and no runs in four innings for the Mammoths.
After one day of rest, the Mammoths were back on the field to take on Nichols College. In the tightly contested match-up, Nichols ultimately came out on top winning 2-1. Nardone had the sole run for the Mammoths off a sac fly from Ellinwood in the top of the second. Despite the loss, starting pitcher Andrew Ferrero ’19 performed well for Amherst, giving up just two earned runs on seven hits with no walks over six and a third.
In a 10-3 loss to Haverford College on Thursday, the Mammoths were unable to find their offensive groove, not scoring until the bottom of the sixth. Hardin went 1-1 with an RBI and a run scored, while Simeone and Stephen Burke ’21 scored Amherst’s additional two runs.
The Mammoths were granted another one-day break after the Haverford game, returning to the diamond on Saturday, March 17 to face Marietta College and Susquehanna University. Marrietta was up first for Amherst, and after enduring a similar scoring rut as against Haverford, the Mammoths fell by the exact same score to the Pioneers, 10-3. Kenney went 3-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Roberson tallied the other run.
Amherst quickly turned it around for its second game of the day against Susquehanna. The Mammoths were first to get on the board with three runs in the first three innings. Although the River Hawks added two runs of their own, Amherst managed to hold off its opponents to prevail 5-2, in a game in which Roberson, Nardone, Palmo and Simeone had an RBI each.
In addition to his RBI, Palmo went 3-5 with a run scored to pace the Amherst offense. On the mound, Michael Cortelli ’20 pitched five and two-thirds innings, in which he allowed just two hits while facing 23 batters.
This win also marked head coach Brian Hamm’s 200th career win, a milestone he reached earlier in his career than any NESCAC baseball coach in history.
The Mammoths finished out their week in Florida with a game against Denison University. Amherst was unable to find much offensive momentum against the Big Red, ultimately finishing the game scoreless at the end of nine innings. Denison tallied three runs in the bottom of the second and added an insurance run in the seventh. Simeone and Kai Terada-Herzer ’21 were the two Mammoths with multiple hit games, going 2-4 and 2-2 respectively, but Denison ultimately defeated Amherst 4-0.
After a busy spring break, Amherst sits at 3-5 overall, but has yet to play a conference game. Upon returning to campus, the Mammoths will be back in action quickly. Starting on Wednesday, March 21, Amherst will play six games over four days, the first of which will see the Mammoths host Westfield State at 3:30 p.m on March 21.
