Ephs Split Double Header Versus Amherst

Williamstown, MA — The Williams College baseball team came out swinging in the opening game of Sunday's doubleheader, jumping on arch rival Amherst early and never giving up control in a  6–3 win at Bobby Coombs Field.

"We jumped on 'em early and never looked back," said Eph head coach Bill Barrale, whose team made a statement with a three-run first inning and sharp defensive execution to close it out.

Marcus Burrell II immediately sparked the offense, dropping a single just over the second baseman's head into shallow center. Henry Juan followed with a line drive single to right, putting runners on first and second. After James O'Connor had worked a walk to load the bases, Dylan Mosrie hit a sharp grounder to third, which resulted in a throwing error on the throw to the plate. Two runs were scored on the play, Burrell and Juan, while Mosrie advanced into scoring position. Ryan Nakajima then grounded out to second, bringing in O'Connor and giving the Ephs a 3–0 lead.

The momentum continued in the third. Juan doubled down the third base line before unfortunately being thrown out trying to steal third. O'Connor reached on a fielder's choice, and Mosrie followed with a high popup that Amherst's second baseman dropped, allowing Mosrie to reach second and O'Connor to take third. Nakajima came through again, lining a shot down the left field line to send both runners home. Another fielding miscue allowed Nakajima to reach second safely, and he later came home on a clean single to left center by Luka Asanovic to make it 6–0.

On the mound, sophomore Owen McHugh turned in one of his strongest outings of the season. Williams's ace pitched six efficient innings, striking out five and walking just two. McHugh attacked the zone early, mixing his fastball and off-speed well, and didn't allow a single hit until the fourth inning. He remained composed under pressure and held Amherst scoreless through five frames, showcasing excellent poise and command in a big rivalry game. This game gave McHugh his third win of the season.

Amherst did eventually respond. The Mammoths finally got on board at the top of the sixth when Jack McDermott and Jack Sampedro delivered back-to-back singles. After a pair of productive outs moved them over, Ryan McIntyre came through with an RBI single to send McDermott home. The Ephs executed a perfect relay to home to tag out the second Amherst runner attempting to score and limit the damage to one run..

Amherst added two more in the seventh. After a leadoff single by Leo Foust, J.J. Grimes doubled to right center to drive him in. Grimes moved to third on a fly out and then scored on a ground out by Jack Boyle to cut the Williams lead to 6–3.

With Amherst looking to complete a comeback, the Ephs closed the door with two stellar defensive plays. First, James O'Connor showed off his length, extending his arms to max while keeping his foot on the bag at first base to handle a tricky throw for the second out. Then, Sasha Palma sealed the win with a clean field and flip at second, finishing a textbook final frame and locking up the Ephs' victory.

After a decisive win in the first game of the doubleheader, the Ephs faced a tough challenge in game 2, ultimately falling 10–4. While Williams tied Amherst in hits with nine, they allowed too many free bases and committed errors in key moments. These miscues helped the Mammoths jump out to an 8–0 lead by the sixth inning.

Amherst took control early, scoring four runs in the first inning, capitalizing on errors and walks to take advantage of the Ephs' defensive lapses. The Mammoths extended their lead with another run in the second and two more in the third, pushing the score to 7–0. A wild pitch and a few more walks added to Williams' struggles, and by the time the sixth inning rolled around, Amherst was up 8–0.

Despite being down by a significant margin, the Ephs showed some fight and began to chip away at the lead. In the seventh inning, James O'Connor led off with a solo home run to right-center, cutting the deficit to 8–1. Then, in the eighth, Williams continued their comeback effort as Anthony Lods hit a solo homer of his own, bringing the score to 8–2. With two outs, Dave Mosrie brought in another run with a sacrifice fly, and O'Connor followed up with a triple to right-center, scoring the Ephs' fourth run of the game. However, the rally fell short as the Mammoths closed the inning with a 10–4 lead.

Eph head coach Bill Baralle commented on the loss, saying, "They were too good a team to give up that many free bases," noting some of the uncharacteristic defensive plays by his team. Though the game didn't go how Williams had hoped, Coach Barralle feels optimistic about his team going into the back half of the season. 

The Ephs look to bounce back this Tuesday at 4 P.M. on the road versus Skidmore College.