Baseball Concludes Season with 21-9 Mark
Baseball Concludes Season with 21-9 MarkThe team began its final homestand with a 7-0 blanking of Fitchburg State in which pitchers Andy Ditchfield (Lebanon, NH), Kevin Downes (Pound Ridge, NY) and Graham Callaghan (Burlington, CT) combined to strike out 14 Falcons. Senior co-captain Mike Sullivan (Andover, MA) posted a 3-for-5 showing at the plate with three RBI to lead the squad, while fellow centerfielder Spencer Christensen (Southboro, MA) also added three singles, three runs and a pair of stolen bases to the Amherst offense.
The Jeffs closed out its Little III season with a 3-3 showing, including a 13-3 rout of Wesleyan. Junior Mike St. Clair (East Longmeadow, MA) pounded a grand slam hitting clean-up as Amherst jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the first inning. Sophomore Hugh Quattlebaum (Andover, MA) pushed the advantage to 11-2 after four as he knocked a three-run homer over the right-field fence. Senior Jon Cross (Chevy Chase, MD) earned his second win of the season over the Cardinals, including a complete game in Middletown, CT.
Hosting Williams for a shot at the Little III title, the Jeffs posted a 4-2 victory to kick off the doubleheader. Junior Mike Sweeney (Keene, NH) fanned seven Ephs in a complete game throwing to senior catcher Dan Blednick (Melville, NY) while St. Clair drove in three runs with a pair of singles. However, Williams fought back in game two with a 1-0 win as they held the Jeffs to just two hits. This is the Ephs' first series victory over Amherst since 1976.
Senior Josh Carroll (Winchester, MA) capped off the season as Amherst's career home run leader with 17, breaking the seven-year-old record with a solo shot in the seventh inning against Springfield College. Carroll went 3-for-5 against the Pride with a pair of RBI, while fellow senior Geoff Spies (Princeton, NJ) finished his career with a 3-for-4 showing at the plate. Christensen banged out four hits as Amherst led 8-0 through eight innings, and Cross held on for the complete game victory after striking out nine.
Hitting: 45 or more at bats Pitching Statistics AB H HR RBI BA IP H K ERA Michael St. Clair '99 110 43 8 33 .391 Mike Grant '99 85 30 1 16 .353 Greg Berchelmann '99 106 37 4 20 .349 Hugh Quattlebaum '00 113 39 7 25 .345 Jordan Krall '01 87 30 0 17 .345 Mike Sullivan '98 101 34 2 17 .337 Dan Blednick '98 66 20 0 17 .303 Josh Carroll '98 86 25 2 17 .291 Mike Sweeney '99 54.1 45 46 2.48 Jon Cross '98 59.1 61 47 3.49 Kevin Downes '01 6 4 0 2 .667 24.1 22 21 3.70 Andy Ditchfield '99 45.1 48 42 4.57 Graham Callaghan '99 32.1 51 26 6.12 George Gumpert '99 2.1 6 1 11.57 Dave Siegle '01 8.2 13 11 12.46 Team Totals 967 322 26 199 .333 231.2 250 198 4.31 Opponent Totals 925 250 17 119 .270 226.0 322 122 7.21 Final Record: 21-9, 20-8 v. Division III Last Week: Fitchburg State, W 7-0 Wesleyan, W 13-3 Williams (2), W 4-2, L 0-1 Springfield, W 8-4
In preparation for the NCAAs, the team posted a 4-1 week to close out the regular season with a 28-6 record. Shea pitched a two-hitter and struck out six Lyons as the Jeffs posted a 6-2 win over Mount Holyoke where sophomore Allison Schwarting (Los Angeles, CA) went 3-for-4 with two runs and two stolen bases. Schwarting knocked in the game-winning run against Coast Guard the following day with a line-drive in the bottom of the seventh that drove home sophomore first-baseman Darcy Sweeney (Keene, NH) for a 2-1 win in game one. And while the Jeffs registered 11 hits in game two, including three by sophomore Melissa Roja (Los Altos Hills, CA), the team was plagued by eight errors that yielded a six-run sixth and a three-run seventh for the Bears, and an 11-2 loss for the Jeffs.
But Amherst rebounded two days later in the showdown that would decide the final team to earn an NCAA invitation, a battle between archrivals Amherst, ranked No. 5 in the region, and No. 6 Williams. The Jeffs rallied with two out in the fifth for four runs to take a 6-0 lead over the Ephs. Rinaldi drove home Vicki Gonzalez (Miami, FL) in the sixth for what would be the game-winner after a four-run Eph comeback. Surviving game one with a 7-6 win, Shea posted a shutout as Amherst blanked Williams, 2-0, in game two for its first-ever Little III title.
Seeded No. 5 in the five-team regional, Amherst kicked off the tournament with a 3-1 win over NESCAC rival Tufts for a chance to play top-seeded Bridgewater in the second round. The Jeffs turned their first double play of the season against the Bears in the second inning as shortstop Liza Feldman (Sudbury, MA) caught a line drive, then threw to Carline Kelly (South Dartmouth, MA) for the out at second base. However, the hosts took advantage of six Amherst errors for a 4-1 win that set up the fifth meeting of the year between the Jeffs and the Jumbos. Amherst took a 1-0 lead after one as Schwarting scored on an error, and that run would hold in Shea's two-hit shutout.
Advancing to the final day of competition, Amherst faced Wheaton, last year's regional representative in the National Tournament, for a berth in the Championship game. Both teams went scoreless through seven, Amherst stranding three and Wheaton five before the semi-final went into extra innings. The Lyons broke open the stalemate with a pair of runs in the top of the ninth, but Amherst responded with singles by Sweeney and rookie Lindsay Thomas (Westford, MA) to drive in Rinaldi and Feldman to equalize at 2-2 after nine.
Wheaton struck again in the top of the 10th, boasting a 3-2 lead as Amherst faced two on with two outs and Feldman at the plate. The shortstop knocked a double into centerfield to drive home Roja and Rinaldi for the 4-3 victory and a chance at the Regional Championship.
Amherst turned two more double plays against Bridgewater with the fast fielding by Shea on the mound. A 1-6-3 double play left the bases loaded in the second as both teams remained scoreless through five innings. Shea shoveled off to catcher Meghan Nelson (Middletown, CT) for the force at home to hold Bridgewater to just one run in the sixth, and the throw to Sweeney left runners at second and third at the end of the inning. However, the Jeffs stranded runners at the corners in the top of the seventh as Amherst fell 1-0 in the Championship game.
In recognition of outstanding individual performances during the regional, a New England All-Tournament team was selected that featured four Lord Jeffs among its 13 honorees. Shea claimed one of four at-large recognitions as a pitcher, while Schwarting was named as an outfielder. Sweeney and Feldman anchored half the infield at first base and shortstop, respectively. Feldman also earned NESCAC Player of the Week recognition for her performance in the Wheaton game.
The Jeffs had jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 10 seconds into the match behind Neviaser's first goal. Boasting a 5-2 lead after the first quarter, Williams retaliated with a five-goal second toward a 7-6 advantage at the half. Neviaser re-claimed the lead for the Jeffs at the end of the third, while rookie keeper Corey Simonson (Brookline, MA) notched seven of his 13 saves in the second half to hold off the Ephs. With Williams on the offensive for the closing three minutes of the match, the Amherst defense held off the onslaught as the Jeffs earned their first Little III title since 1988.
Amherst maintained this momentum into the post-season as the Jeffs jumped out to a 6-1 lead over fourth-seeded Bowdoin at the half after outscoring the hosts 4-0 in the second period. But the Polar Bears rallied behind 10 of their 17 saves in the second half to hold the Jeffs scoreless in the final frame. Amherst finished its season with a 9-7 loss as the No. 5 seed in the tournament.
Kestner also led a group of four student-athletes on the New England Regional All-America Team. Kestner was named to the First Team for attack, and she is joined by junior midfielder Irene Permut (Wilmington, DE) on defense. Both are now eligible for National All-America recognition. Seniors Heidi Cline (Andover, MA) and Jess Flynn (Newton, NJ) claimed Second Team honors. 27 of the 30 women hailed from NESCAC institutions.
The team closed out the season with a four-game win-streak, kicked off by a 21-11 win over Mount Holyoke. Cline posted four goals to lead the team, who rattled off six straight early in the second half to lead by as much as 18-6 with just under 17 minutes to play. Eleven different players got on the scoreboard for the tenth best team in the country.
Amherst hosted the undefeated Ephs in the regular season finale as the archrivals traded goals throughout the first half. Sophomore Katherine Poulin (St. Davids, PA) gave Amherst a 5-4 edge at the break, and Kestner notched the game-winner with just under 23 to play as the second of her three goals. Permut added an insurance goal while rookie keeper Jess Thaxton (Wayland, MA) made 12 saves in the cage, including three in the final two minutes, to help spoil a perfect season for Williams, the second-best team in the nation. Amherst claimed its second-straight win over Williams (6-5 in the 1997 ECAC Championship) and its first Little III title since 1985.
Claiming the top-seed in the ECAC Championship, Amherst hosted Final Four weekend, kicked off by a 14-12 win over fourth-seeded Tufts. Jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first 2:29 of the game, Amherst boasted a 6-3 advantage at the half, 14-7 with 8:38 to play. Tufts tallied five unanswered goals to close out the match, but Amherst held off the Jumbos in the final two minutes. Kestner led all scorers with five goals, including four in the second half, and an assist, while Cline added three goals and two assists. With only one win over the Jumbos in the first 13 years of the rivalry, Amherst has won the last three straight, including two ECAC semifinal wins.
Advancing to the Championship game, Amherst faced second-seeded Bowdoin, who had pushed the hosts to a 17-14 win in last year's quarterfinals. The 1998 matchup proved just as exciting as Bowdoin forced the match into overtime with a late three-goal run. The Polar Bears had scored first, and Bowdoin had rebounded from a 3-1 deficit to take a 4-3 lead with 4:39 before the break. Kestner tied the match for the third time with her second goal of the day with just 1:31 left in the half, and a 3-0 run by Cline and sophomore Alie Stechenberg (East Longmeadow, MA) gave Amherst a seemingly solid 7-4 lead with 13:50 left in regulation.
Bowdoin again struck first in the second OT period, but Kestner's sixth free position shot on goal tied the match at 8-8 with 1:33 to play. As the time ticked under a minute left, junior Jen Corso (Collingswood, NJ) was fouled on an inbounds play. Corso found rookie Kristin Osborn (Morristown, NJ) open on the right sideline, who led Kestner to the goalmouth. The tri-captain shoveled a shot over her right shoulder with just 44 ticks left to play for the game-winner in the 9-8 overtime thriller.
In just two games, Kestner registered nine goals and two assists to earn Tournament MVP honors. She concluded the season as the team's leading scorer and third on the career scoring list with 163 points. Cline's 129 goals in four years puts her first in goals scored in a career, while Kestner's 126 is a close second. Cline finished with 171 points and second in career scoring. As a class, Kestner, Cline, Flynn, midfielder Liz Roth (Malvern, PA) and tri-captain Erika Johnson (Newton, MA) will graduate as the winningest in Amherst women's lacrosse history with a 42-18 career record with an NCAA appearance in 1996, plus three showings in the Championship game of the ECAC Tournament with two titles.
Williams had swept all three doubles matches, including a 9-7 win at second-doubles over sophomore Scott Chase (North Andover, MA) and rookie Reeve Segal (Newton, MA). Segal's 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 4 singles evened the score at 1-1, but losses in the first and second flights gave the Ephs a 3-1 advantage after senior co-captain Ryan Cole (Pikesville, MD) was edged out in 7-1 in the third set tiebreaker. Fellow senior Adam Wolf (Roslyn Heights, NY) bested NESCAC Champion Sherman Lim (Singapore) 7-6 (0), 7-5 to cut the Eph advantage to 3-2, but a loss at fifth singles by senior Noah Lippe-Klein (Palo Alto, CA) closed out the season with a 12-5 record, 12-3 against Division III competition.
In the first round of the regional, Amherst swept the top four singles flights after dropping the doubles point to post a 4-1 win over third-seeded Swarthmore College. Both Wolf and Segal posted a pair of wins over the weekend as Wolf closed out the season with a 16-3 record, 38-5 over the last two years. Cole and junior Harlan Stock (West Hartford, CT) will close out the season at Individual Nationals this weekend at Williams.
The team steamrolled UC-San Diego 9-0 in the first round, including an 8-0 rout by juniors Pam Diamond (Trumbull, CT) and Neely Steinberg (Concord, MA) at No. 1 doubles. The pair dropped only three games in three matches as the three-time New England Champions finished the season 11-1 as a team.
Facing top-ranked Trinity, Amherst took a 3-0 lead after doubles, and a trio of wins by Steinberg and rookies Jamie Cohen (Rye, NY) and Carolyn Pastel (Old Lyme, CT) sealed the win. Pastel posted a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 6 singles, while Diamond and senior captain Sally Childs (Rye, NY) battled through three sets before falling in the third.
Slated to meet Skidmore in the Final Four, Amherst was rallying from a 2-1 deficit after doubles when Diamond went down in her first set with a torn ACL. Shaken by the injury, the Jeffs fell 5-2 and claimed a place in the Consolation match against Gustavus Adolphus. Despite trailing 3-0 early, Cohen, Steinberg, Childs and Pastel claimed singles wins for a respectable 5-4 loss to the Gusties and No. 4 in the nation.
With her injury, Diamond opted out of both the Singles and Doubles Championships, and Cohen was forced to retire in the quarterfinals with a bad shoulder. Amherst returns five of its top six for the fall lineup.
Making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the four-year varsity Amherst softball team advanced all the way to the Regional Championship game before falling to the top-seeded host, Bridgewater State. In the process, the team registered its most successful season to date, boasting a 31-8 (79.5%) record with a team that will return all but two players next season. Senior co-captains Jen Shea (Hatfield, MA) and Sarah Rinaldi (Washington, DC) will graduate as the first two women to play four years of varsity softball at Amherst, and with virtually every hitting and pitching record for the young team.
Softball Finishes in NCAA Regional Championship Game
Hitting: 58 or more at bats Pitching Statistics
AB H HR RBI BA IP H K ERA
Allison Schwarting '00 133 54 1 16 .406 150.0 99 109 1.49
Sarah Rinaldi '98 117 41 5 31 .350
Victoria Gonzalez '99 117 39 0 13 .333
Liza Feldman '00 97 30 4 17 .309
Melissa Roja '00 102 31 0 17 .304
Darcy Sweeney '00 104 31 0 17 .298
Meghan Nelson '01 105 31 0 18 .295
Jen Shea '98 6 0 0 0 .000 104.0 78 41 1.82
Team Totals 1017 308 11 154 .303 254.0 177 150 1.63
Opponent Totals 977 177 2 63 .181 238.2 308 57 4.25
Final Record: 31-8
Last Week: Mount Holyoke, W 6-2
Coast Guard (2), W 2-1, L 2-11
Williams (2), W 7-6, W 2-0
NCAA New England Tournament: No. 5 seed
No. 4 Tufts, W 3-1
No. 1 Bridgewater, L 1-4
Tufts, W 1-0
Wheaton, W 4-3 (10)
Regional Championship: Bridgewater, L 0-1
Men's lacrosse finished its 1998 campaign in its fourth-straight ECAC tournament after edging out archrival Williams in the regular season for the first time since 1988. Leading the Jeffs to this momentus victory was senior attackman Andy Neviaser (Germantown, MD), whose career-high four goals included the game-winner with 11 minutes to play as Amherst held on for a 13-12 triumph. Neviaser earned NESCAC Player of the Week honors for this achievement.
Men's Lacrosse Makes Fourth Straight ECAC Appearance
No Name G A P
14 Sam Altman '00 25 19 44
10 Matt Roy '99 15 18 33
21 Kyle Bohannon '99 20 14 34
5 Payson Bullard '99 22 9 31
22 Jason Sowers '00 15 12 27
1 Todd Nichols '99 21 4 25
2 James DeLuca '99 10 5 15
36 Andy Neviaser '98 17 1 18
13 Robbie Gibson '01 6 4 10
15 Eric Edelson '01 4 3 7
23 Todd Robin '98 2 5 7
9 Geoff Hengerer '99 4 1 5
33 John Laufer '99 3 4 7
31 Eric Kahrl '00 3 0 3
34 David Pitney '01 3 0 3
12 Ben Beckman '98 2 1 3
27 J.P. Bruneau '01 2 0 2
Amherst Totals 175 100 276
Opponent Totals 160 72 232
Goalkeeping GP W L Min Svs GA Sv% GAA
7 Bryan Goldstein '99 8 5 3 351 65 46 .586 7.86
20 Corey Simonson '01 12 4 4 591 111 111 .500 11.27
8 Pat Korody '00 2 0 0 20 6 3 .667 9.00
Amherst Totals 16 9 7 962 182 160 .532 9.98
Opponent Totals 16 7 9 962 213 174 .550 10.85
Final Record: 9-7
Last Week: Williams, W 13-12
ECAC Tournament: No. 5 seed
at No. 4 Bowdoin, L 7-9
Amherst women's lacrosse defended its first-ever ECAC Championship in 1997 to claim its second-straight in 1998 with a thrilling, 9-8 overtime victory over second-seeded Bowdoin. For her spectacular performance, senior tri-captain Heather Kestner (Wilmington, DE) earned both Senior All-Star and NESN Athlete of the Week honors, one week after the midfielder claimed NESCAC Player of the Week honors for leading her team to an 8-5 victory over Williams.
Women's Lacrosse Repeats as ECAC Champions
No. Name G A P
24 Heather Kestner '98 46 10 56
15 Heidi Cline '98 44 11 55
17 Kristin Osborn '01 21 12 33
11 Alie Stechenberg '00 25 5 30
23 Jen Corso '99 21 8 29
16 Katherine Poulin '00 18 4 22
4 Irene Permut '99 6 8 14
12 Sarah Scheessele '01 9 2 11
10 Rachel Bernstein '00 8 2 10
19 Jess Flynn '98 0 2 2
3 Julia Powell '01 1 0 1
21 Katherine Haver '01 1 0 1
9 Aimee Carroll '99 0 1 1
18 Erika Johnson '98 0 1 1
20 Alexa Faigen '01 0 1 1
Amherst Totals 200 67 267
Opponent Totals 123 30 153
Goalkeeping GP W L Min Svs GA Sv% GAA
33 Sarah Evans '99 11 7 3 438 64 60 .516 8.22
32 Jess Thaxton '01 11 5 0 468 56 63 .471 8.08
Amherst Totals 15 12 3 906 120 123 .494 8.14
Opponent Totals 15 3 12 906 201 200 .501 13.25
Final Record: 12-3
Last Week: Mount Holyoke, W 21-11
Williams, W 8-5
ECAC Tournament at Amherst: No. 1 seed
No. 4 Tufts, W 14-12
No. 2 Bowdoin, W 9-8 OT
Selected to host the NCAA East Regional Tournament, Amherst men's tennis advanced as the No. 2 seed to the Championship match, where the Jeffs fell 4-2 to archrival Williams, who remained undefeated with a 14-0 mark as the Ephs prepare to host the national championship.
Men's Tennis Advances to NCAA Regional Championship
Individual Match Records Singles Doubles
Harlan Stock '99 9-10 5-8
Ryan Cole '98 11-8 11-7
Adam Wolf '98 16-3 0-0
Reeve Segal '01 13-7 12-6
Yo Kobayashi '99 2-3 2-2
Noah Lippe-Klein '98 12-6 7-11
Scott Chase '00 11-2 12-6
Matt Fox '99 0-0 11-7
Addison West '01 0-0 0-1
Final Record: 12-5, 12-3 v. Division III
Last Week: NCAA East Regional Tournament at Amherst: No. 2 seed
No. 3 Swarthmore, W 4-1
No. 1 Williams, L 2-4
This Week: Mon-Wed May 18-20 NCAA Individual Championships at Williams College
Women's tennis became the third team in Amherst history to reach the NCAA Final Four as the Jeffs knocked off the No. 1 team in the nation, Trinity (TX), 6-3 in the quarterfinals. Falling to eventual national champion Skidmore in the semifinals, Amherst concluded the season as the fourth-best team in the nation, the team's finest finish to date.
Women's Tennis Knocks off Top-Seed for Final Four
Individual Match Records* Singles Doubles
Jamie Cohen '01 14-2 9-3
Pam Diamond '99 8-5 11-1
Neely Steinberg '99 14-0 11-2
Sam Toerge '99 5-8 8-2
Sally Childs '98 10-3 11-2
Carolyn Pastel '01 11-2 10-3
Kristin Ogden '00 1-0 0-1
Patti Jo '01 1-0 4-0
*does not include results from Smith College match
Final Record: 9-3 spring, 18-3 overall
Last Week: NCAA Team Championship at Washington & Lee University, Lexington, Virginia
UC-San Diego, W 9-0
Trinity (TX), W 6-3
Skidmore, L 2-5
Gustavus Adolphus, L 4-5
NCAA Individual Championships at Washington & Lee, Lexington, Virginia