The Williams College baseball team dropped a hard-fought NESCAC contest to Hamilton College, 9-7, after battling back from an early deficit.
The Ephs now fall even to 5-5 on the season and 0-1 in NESCAC play.Â
Hamilton broke the game open in the second inning, erupting for seven runs to take a commanding 7-0 lead. The Continentals used a mix of timely hitting, including a two-run double and a two-RBI single, to seize early control.
Williams responded in the bottom half of the inning. Ben Swank drew a bases-loaded walk to get the Ephs on the board before Oliver Rey delivered a two-run single to cut the deficit to 7-3.
The Ephs continued to chip away in the third inning, as Quinn Carlesimo doubled to left field to drive in Ryan Nakajima and make it a 7-4 game.
Hamilton added insurance in the fifth inning with a two-run home run to extend its lead to 9-4.
Williams continued to battle back, answering in the bottom of the fifth when Dave Mosrie singled to bring home Carlesimo and trim the deficit to four.
The Ephs continued to apply pressure late. In the eighth inning, Williams capitalized on a Hamilton error to score a run, and in the ninth, Swank added an RBI single to bring the Ephs within two.
Despite the late push, the early deficit proved too much to overcome, as Hamilton held on for the 9-7 victory.
Offensively, Rey and Swank each drove in multiple runs to lead the Ephs, while Carlesimo and Mosrie contributed key RBIs in the comeback effort.
Williams will look to bounce back tomorrow as they take on Hamilton in their final games in Florida in a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m.Â
