WILLIAMSTOWN, MA — The Williams College softball team used the home run ball to post a sweep of Hamilton Friday at Cole Field. Sophomore Cedar Blazek hit a grand slam in the nightcap, a 10-2 Williams win in five innings, while first-year Ally Ensor struck the big blow in the opener, a three-run blast that propelled the Ephs to a 5-0 victory.
The sweep improves the Ephs to 13-11-1 overall and 4-4 in the NESCAC West while Hamilton slips to 5-19 overall, 0-8 in divisional play. The two teams have rescheduled their Saturday game, originally slated for 10 a.m., the game has been pushed back to 5 p.m.
Williams senior Mary Beth Daub tossed a 4-hit shutout in the opener Friday. She did not walk a batter while striking out five. The biggest threat she faced came in the top of the seventh with the Ephs already up 5-0. A double by Continental Sam Miller and a one-out error put runners on first and third, but Daud fanned Ashley Perritt and got Leigh Sherrow to ground out to end the contest.
Williams broke open the game with a four-run third inning. Senior captain Carly Ameen ignited the rally with a one-out double to left. With two out, first year Theresa Legan singled sharply up the middle, scoring Ameen for a 1-0 lead. Kaitlin Dinet then grounded a single through the left side. That brought up lefty Ensor, who narrowly missed a round tripper in the first with a blast to the warning track in right. This time, her laser shot to center field easily cleared the fence for a 4-0 Williams lead.
Sophomore Cedar Blazek smacked a solo homer in the fourth to account for the Ephs other run. Dinet finished 2 for 3 for the Ephs.
Balzek was in the spotlight in the nightcap as well, smacking a first inning grand slam following three walks. The four-run cushion was more than enough for Ephs starter Megan Casey, who kept the Continentals off the scoreboard until Liz Reid's two-out, two-run single in the fifth with Williams leading 10-0.
RBI-singles by senior captain Caitlyn Cain and Kaitlin Dinet in the second gave the Ephs a 6-0 lead. In the fourth, first-year Alyssa Quan had a two-run, pinch-hit single to help the Ephs extend their lead to 10-0.
In the field, Casey was backed by a hightlight reel catch at second base by Legan, who robbed Cara Vennari of a hit in the top of the second by diving full out to her right to snare a sharp liner up the middle.
Casey went five innings to earn the win, allowing five hits and no walks while striking out two.
