May 4, 2008

Benz, Brown lead Ephs to NESCAC West Division crown with 9-4 win over Amherst

PITTSFIELD, MA — Pittsfield native Chad Brown went 4 for 5 Sunday as the Williams College baseball team defeated archrival Amherst, 9-4, at historic Wahconah Park to claim the NESCAC West Division crown.

The game was played at Wahconah Park as part of a celebration of 149 years of baseball between the two institutions. The National College Baseball Hall of Fame, based in Lubbock, Tx., was represented and presented the Mayor of Pittsfield, James Ruberto, a plaque declaring Pittsfield as the birthplace of college baseball.

Amherst and Williams played the first ever collegiate baseball game in the United States in Pittsfield on July 1, 1859.

On Sunday, the Ephs scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to break open a close game and never looked back. Junior southpaw Dan Benz (6-2) threw eight sharp innings, including seven straight shutout frames after allowing a two-run home run in the first, to collect the victory.

The Ephs will next play in the NESCAC Tournament beginning Friday in Hartford and Middletown, Ct. Williams, which improved to 24-10 with the win, will be the top seed from the NESCAC West and face Tufts, the second seed from the NESCAC East. Amherst fell to 22-10-1 but also qualified for the tournament and will take on Trinity (34-0) Friday.

“We’re a deep team in pitching and we hit the ball well,” Williams head coach Bill Barrale said. “When we catch it and throw it well, we can beat some good teams. My message to the guys this week is we’re the No. 1 seed in the West and the defending (NESCAC) champions — some one is going to have to beat us.”

Amherst took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when Brendan Powers drew a two-out walk from Benz and senior Neal Allar followed by launching a 3-1 pitch over the fence in left-field for a two-run home run.

The Ephs managed to tie the game with single runs in the first and third innings. Brown’s RBI-single scored Robin Allemand in the third. Zach Stone triggered the big fourth-inning with a line drive single to right off Amherst starter Chris Edgar. Following a sacrifice bunt by Barrett Allison, Eph senior James DiCosmo punched a single to left and promptly stole second.

A wild pitch allowed Stone to score the go-ahead run. A walk to Taylor Mikell and a hit batsman (Max Pinto) helped the Ephs load the bases, and Allemand plated DiCosmo (3 for 4 with three runs scored) with a sacrifice fly to right. Sophomore Al Mathews then roped a double to straightaway center field for a 6-2 lead. Brown followed with a single up the middle that scored Mathews and chased Edgar from the game.

“We don’t hit for power, but we hit up and down the line-up,” Barrale said. “Some days it’s DiCosmo, Pinto and Mikell, today it was Chad Brown.”

Benz made the lead hold up, allowing only three hits over eight innings while walking two and striking out nine. After a lead-off walk to Mike Neff in the sixth innng, Benz retired the final nine batters he faced.

“He’s such a competitor and he has three pitches that he’s not afraid to throw any time,” Barrale said of Benz.

Stone relieved Benz in the ninth with Williams up 9-2 and gave up a double to Allar before walking three straight batters with two outs, including a bases-loaded walk to Scott Shaffer that made it 9-3. Jose Espinosa followed with an RBI-single to center that made it 9-4, but Stone induced Brian Merrigan to ground into a force play at second to end the game.