Six-Run Third Inning Helps Blazers Top Amherst, 9-8

HOLYOKE, Mass. – A six-run third inning helped propel the Elms College baseball team to a 9-8 win over Amherst at Mackenzie Stadium in non-conference play on Wednesday night.

Trailing 2-0, the Blazers picked up three hits and capitalized on three Amherst errors, three walks and a wild pitch to plate six runs in the bottom of the third to grab a 6-2 lead. All the action occurred with two outs after Amherst starter Zach Brown struck out the first two batters of the inning. But Brown followed that with back-to-back walks and was yanked in favor of David Brinkley. Brown went two and two-thirds innings and struck out three without allowing a hit.

Brinkley was both ineffective and unlucky in the adventurous one-third of an inning he recorded. Thomas Slane reached on a Brinkley error to load the bases, then all three runners advanced on a wild pitch. Keven Banas walked to load the bases once again before Josh Berthiaum hit a bases-clearing single to put Elms ahead 4-2.

Josh Pasini followed with an infield single and reached second on a throwing error, which allowed Berthiaum to advance to third. Yet another error allowed Jaeden Rasmus to reach first and Berthiaum to score while Pasini took third. Andy Vasquez then came up with a two-run single to make it a 6-2 Elms lead.

Amherst (11-7) responded with three runs in the top of the fourth to cut the Elms lead to 6-5, but the Blazers (5-17) got a two-run single from Banas and an RBI single from Berthiaum in the bottom of the fourth to build a 9-5 advantage. Amherst added single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth to pull within one, but Rasmus pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the season.

Amherst scored at least one run in six different innings, and tallied 12 hits in the contest. Max Steinhorn went 3-for-5 at the dish and Harry Roberson drove in three runs.

Berthiaume led the Blazer offense with four RBIs while going 2-for-5 at the plate. Pasini went 2-for-4 and Banas finished with two RBIs. Elms finished with eight hits in the game.

Mason Scott pitched four innings in relief and got the win for Elms. He walked three and allowed six hits and five runs, three of them earned. Brinkley got the loss for Amherst after allowing four runs, all unearned, on three hits with one walk. Seven different pitchers made an appearance for Amherst.

The Blazers open a three-game New England Collegiate Conference series against Dean with a double-header at Dean on April 14. Amherst will visit Middlebury for a three-game series beginning April 13.