The Amherst baseball team enjoyed several successful outings over the past week, going 3-0 against Brandeis University and Hamilton.
On Tuesday, Mar. 27, the Mammoths hosted the Brandeis Judges in a mid-week non-conference match-up.
Amherst dominated the visiting team, holding at least a three-run lead from the first inning onwards. In the 14-3 victory, the Mammoths totaled 16 hits including a homerun from senior leftfielder Ryan Hardin. Hardin had an overall stellar outing, going 2-2 with two runs scored and four RBIs.
Fellow seniors Max Steinhorn and Ariel Kenney also had strong offensive performances; Steinhorn went 2-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Kenney was 2-3 with two RBIs and one run scored. Starting pitcher Zach Horwitz ’20 threw for the first three innings, recording three strikeouts and allowing two hits and one earned run. First-years Andrew Nagel and Ryan Sholtis pitched a total four scoreless innings in relief.
The Mammoths opened conference play last weekend in dramatic fashion, sweeping the visiting Hamilton Continentals in a two-game series on Saturday, Mar. 30. In the first game of the day, Amherst got out to an early lead and was up by four runs at the end of three innings. Not ready to give in, the Continentals came out strong in the top of the sixth inning, hammering in four runs of their own to knot the game at four runs apiece.
The game remained tied until the bottom of the ninth, giving Amherst a chance to walk off, and Joe Palmo ’21 came up big for the Mammoths. At the plate with runners on first and third, the first-year was cool under pressure, driving the ball just out of reach of Hamilton’s right fielder to send home the winning run, which was scored by Kai Terada-Herzer ’21.
Davis Brown ’19 pitched six and one-third innings in the tightly-contested game, striking out nine Continentals, allowing five hits and walking one batter.
Andrew Ferrero ’19 relieved Brown for the final two and two-thirds innings and managed to keep Hamilton at bay. Nick Nardone ’19 tallied his first homer of the season in the 5-4 victory.
After a brief break, the Mammoths and Continentals were back on the field for their second and final game of the day. The second contest was equally as exciting as the first. Nardone and Severino Simeone ’20 had a homerun apiece in the high-scoring matchup. In addition to their homeruns, Nardone and Simeone put forth solid offensive efforts overall; Nardone went 2-2 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while Simeone went 2-4 with one run scored and two RBIs.
Steinhorn and Kenney also performed well at the plate, going 2-4 with two runs scored and 2-3 with three runs scored, respectively. Four different players stepped on the mound for the Mammoths, but Sholtis ultimately closed out the game for Amherst, pitching the final inning, in which he allowed one hit and no runs while tallying one strikeout.
Following their undefeated week, the Mammoths have improved to 9-5 overall and 2-0 in conference play. Amherst is back in action on Wednesday, April 4 to take on Mitchell College in a non-conference away game scheduled to start at 4 p.m. On Friday, April 6, the Mammoths will return to conference play when they travel to Williamstown to face NESCAC rival Williams beginning at 4 p.m. The following day the Mammoths will host the Ephs in a double header to close out the series. The first game will start at 1 p.m., with the second contest scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
