Amherst Softball Tops Wellesley, 6-4

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Visiting Amherst College defeated the Wellesley College softball team, 6-4, in non-conference on Monday afternoon in Wellesley. The win improves the Jeffs to 19-8 overall, while the Blue dip to 19-9 with the loss.

Amherst struck for four runs in the top half of the first inning, piling on six hits, all singles. Brianna Cook laced a hit to right that drove in two runs, while Reilly Horan and Alyssa Sherwill each added RBI singles in the inning. Wellesley got a run back in the bottom of the inning, as a Jayne Ellis base hit drove in Carly Bresee, who led off with a single.

Wellesley inched closer with a run in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to 4-2. Singles from Bresee and Casey led off the inning, before Maria LaBouyer's single drove in a run. Wellesley had a chance for more, with a runner on third, but a heads up play from catcher Kelsey Ayers to pick off a runner ended the Wellesley threat.

An unearned Wellesley run in the bottom of the fourth closed the gap even further. Mara Blesoff led off with a single, and then her pinch runner, Elizabeth Murphy, came around to score on an errant throw to make it 4-3.

Amherst opened the top of the fifth with a pair of infield singles, but Wellesley got the next two outs and looked they were going to escape without any further damage. However, Amherst's Carolyn Miller drove a 1-0 pitch into left field to plate Kaitlin Silkowitz and Ayers to increase the Jeff advantage to 6-3.

In the bottom of the seventh, Wellesley rallied for a run on a double from Lauren Goldfarb that plated Bresee, making it 6-4. The Blue rally was short-lived, however, as a groundout stranded runners on first and second.

Four players recorded multi-hit games for the Jeffs, as Ayers, Silkowitz, Miller and Sherwill each collected two singles. Miller and Cook each drove in a pair of runs, while Horan and Sherwill added solo RBI in the win.

Wellesley was paced by a 2-for-3 performance from Bresee, who also walked and scored three runs. Goldfarb doubled and added an RBI, while Ellis and LaBouyer also drove in runs for the Blue.

Theresa Kelly (12-3) threw six strong innings, picking up the win for Amherst. She allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits, while striking out two. Nicolette Miranda came on in relief, throwing two-thirds of an inning, before giving way to Arielle Doering, who earned a one-out save by inducing a groundout.

Goldfarb (3-2) suffered the loss for Wellesley, throwing seven innings, allowing six runs on 10 hits (all singles). She struck out four and walked three.

Wellesley is back in action on Wednesday, resuming a halted game against Babson College. The game will start at 4:30pm, with Wellesley ahead 6-4, in the top of the fifth inning. Amherst also returns to action on Wednesday, hosting MCLA in a doubleheader beginning at 3:30pm.