Abby Moravek hurls Mammoths to split of NESCAC Twinbill vs. Bowdoin

Abby Moravek hurls Mammoths to split of NESCAC Twinbill vs. Bowdoin | https://athletics.amherst.edu/

By West Massachusetts News Reports

Mar 30, 2023

First-year Abby Moravek scattered four hits en route to her first collegiate shutout Sunday afternoon to help the Amherst College softball team to a split of its conference doubleheader against Bowdoin College on the Amherst Softball Field.

The Polar Bears took the first game Sunday by a 9-4 score. Bowdoin is now 9-9 overall and 2-2 in conference play while Amherst is 13-3 and 1-1 in NESCAC play. The Mammoths travel to #13-ranked Tufts Saturday for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.

GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS:

* Moravek allowed three hits over the first two innings of the nightcap Sunday. She gave up back-to-back singles in the top of the second, but got a strikeout and a forceout to end the inning. Bowdoin had just one hit over the last five frames.

* Amherst took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Randi Finkelstein drew a on-out walk. America Rangel then beat out a nice bunt between the plate and the circle. A wild pitch moved the runners up. Moravek then hit a dribbler back to the mound and was thrown out at first, however a diving Finkelstein beat the throw home for the game's first run.

* The Mammoths added a run in the bottom of the third when Megan Taketa drew a lead-off walk, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout. Senior Autumn Lee then drilled a hard grounder toward left that was stopped, but there was no play at first or at home as Taketa scored for the 2-0 lead.

* Amherst added another run in the bottom of the fifth when Dylan Briggs and Taketa drew back-to-back walks and Rachel Lovejoy sacrificed them to second and third. Lee lofted a sacrifice fly to center that allowed Abby KKon -- pinch-running for Briggs -- to score.

* The Mammoths tacked on two more in the bottom of the sixth with Moravek playing the starring role with a line-drive RBI-double down the left field line that scored Finkelstein.

* Moravek retired the last 14 of 15 batters she faced, allowing only a two-out double in the sixth. She went 7 full innngs, walked two and allowed four hts while striking out six Polar Bears.

* Amherst had five hits in the win. Rangel was 2 for 3. Lee 1 for 1 with 2 RBI and Moravek 1 for 3 with 2 RBI.

GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS:

* The Mammoths could never catch up after a five-run top of the second from Bowdoin that featured a three-run home rn from Angelina Mayers.

* The Mammoths had 10 hits. Rangel was 2 for 3 with a run scored and Jess Butler was 2 for 4. Moravek had a solo home run in the second inning that made it a 5-2 game and finished 1 for 3. Finkelstein was 1 for 3 with an RBI-single