Katie Kervick ’11 broke a scoreless tie with her first career home run and Jillian Masi ’11 went 3-for-3 to lead Amherst College to an 8-0 win against Hamilton College in a New England Small College Athletic Conference West Division game at the Amherst Softball Field on April 10.
Amherst (13-9 overall, 5-1 NESCAC West) had 11 hits and did not commit an error, while Theresa Kelley ’13 held the visitors to one hit in five innings. Kelley (8-7) and Hamilton starting pitcher Chelsea Merritt '14 were in cruise control through the top of the third inning, but Kervick lit a fire under her team by belting a one-out homer over the left field fence to mark the first long ball of her collegiate career.
Amherst tacked on another four runs in the inning, and added two more in the fourth and one in the fifth to put the mercy rule into effect. Masi drove in the winning run when she sent a single down the right field line with runners on second and third. Kaitlin Silkowitz ’14 was 2-for-2 with a walk, while Reilly Horan ’13 had a two-run triple and added a single.
Kelley struck out three batters -- all in the third inning -- and walked none. Her no-hitter was broken up in the top of the fifth when Sam Miller '14 led off with a single that jumped over the third-base bag. Miller moved to second on a Liz Reid '11 sacrifice bunt, but didn't get any further.
Merritt took the loss as she allowed five runs on six hits in the first 2.2 innings. Summer Bottini '14 surrendered the other three runs -- two earned -- on five hits and three walks in 1.2 innings of relief.
The Continentals (1-14, 0-3) return to action on Tuesday, April 12, when they host Morrisville State College for a doubleheader.
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