Wesleyan’s softball team shut out the Amherst Lord Jeffs in the first of a three game series last Friday in Middletown. With a 3-0 win under their belt, the Cardinals headed to Amherst only to fall in both games of Saturday’s doubleheader, 11-6 and 4-3.
The first four innings in Friday’s game saw little action from both teams. Amherst managed four hits in four innings and Wes a mere three, leaving both teams scoreless entering the fifth inning. After another blank frame for the Lord Jeffs, the Cardinals took the plate in the bottom of the fifth. The first two plays did not bode well for Wesleyan, as Tori Redding ’13 struck out swinging and Amy Lindland ’14 grounded out to third base. Allee Beatty ’13, unfazed by the two outs, stepped up to bat with a momentous single to the pitcher, before stealing second base the next play. Tri-captain Dana Levy ‘12 slammed a homer to left field, scoring Beatty and herself to give Wes a 2-0 lead. Chrissy Bello ’12 doubled to left field, making it safely to second base, and then tri-captain Talia Bernstein ’11 reached on an error by the Amherst shortstop, allowing Bello to score and giving Wes a 3-0 lead that they never relinquished. Laura Getchell ’14 pitched a shutout, only allowing five hits and striking out five batters.
The first game of the doubleheader on the following day saw active offenses from both teams. After ending the first inning with an even 1-1 tie, the Lord Jeffs took a 3-2 lead after the second, with Wes keeping the score close. But after two Wes errors in the third and fourth hits, the Lord Jeffs took a wide 10-3 lead that the Cards were unable to recover from. They amassed three more runs, but couldn’t complete the comeback, ending the game with an 11-6 loss. In the next game, Amherst jumped on board first with a single run in the first inning. Two big doubles from Levy and Bernstein in the fourth tied the game up. The game was tied again going into the seventh at 3-3, but Amherst was able to notch a run at the bottom of the inning to steal the 4-3 victory.
Wesleyan is now 2-4 in the NESCAC West conference. Getchell leads the team with a 2.70 ERA and a .240 opponent batting average. Bernstein (.426) and Bello (.406) lead the team at the plate with their remarkable batting averages. The Cardinals will look to take down the Williams College Ephs this weekend in another NESCAC West series. The Ephs are currently 0-3, and a sweep would put the Cardinals in a great position heading into playoffs.
Leave a Reply