MEDFORD, Mass. – The Amherst College baseball team is your New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Champion for the fifth time in program history as the Mammoths swept East No. 1 seed Tufts University, 6-2 and 4-1, on Saturday at Huskins Field to claim the 2021 NESCAC title.

Holding the Jumbos to just three solo homers for three total runs in the doubleheader, Amherst bested the defending league champions to earn the program's second title in the last three postseasons, and fifth overall (2004, 2005, 2013, 2018, 2021) and improve their all-time record against Tufts in the conference postseason to 9-7.

The title is Mammoths' first under the leadership of head coach J.P. Pyne – now in his second full season with Amherst after joining the program in the summer of 2018 – and assistant coaches Mike Odenwaelder '16 and Kyle Bonicki and team athletic trainer Ben Marcus. It is the second league crown for the Mammoths' Class of 2021 who bookended their collegiate careers with NESCAC titles (2018, 2021).

GAME ONE | Amherst 6, Tufts 2
Wasting little time getting on the board, the Mammoths showed they were in postseason form right out of the gate as they plated two runs in the top of the first and three more in the top of the second to take a commanding 5-0 lead. Leaning on shut down defense down the stretch, the Mammoths held Tufts to just four total hits, with the Jumbos' two runs in the contest each coming via solo homers, and added a final insurance tally in the top of the sixth to secure the 6-2 game one victory.

• Opening scoring as the number two hitter in the lineup, senior Joseph Palmo registered a homer for the second consecutive game and blasted a deep ball over the right field fence to give the Mammoths a quick 1-0 lead.
• Holding the momentum, Daniel Qin '22 singled to center before a Luke Padian '24 walk set up an RBI single by Tyler Marshall '21 through the left side to push the score to 2-0.
• Loading the bases in the top of the second behind singles from Alan Dai '24 and Jackson Reydel '23 and a Palmo walk, a balk by the Jumbo's pitcher plated a score before Qin ripped a single through the left side to extend the Mammoths' advantage to 5-0.
• Amherst needed to see just 10 batters to record the first nine outs of the game before Tufts broke through in the fourth via a Jimmy Evans solo shot over the wall.
• Countering in the sixth, Marshall touched home plate following a Reydel fielder's choice to log the Mammoths' sixth and final run of series opener.
• Tufts looked to make a dent in the visitor's lead late, but a two-out home run by Miles Reid to push the score to 6-2 is as close as the East's No. 1 seed would get as Amherst forced a fly out to seal the four-run victory.

11 of the Mammoths' 21 recorded outs came from fly balls, while the Amherst staff forced four ground outs and totaled six K's. Qin's two RBIs were a contest-high, while Palmo and Qin led all players with two hits each.

Tabbed with the start, Nick Giattino '24 (4-0) remained perfect in his first collegiate season, striking out five and allowing only three hits and one run in 6.0 innings to earn the win, while Jacob Ribitzki '24 struck out one in the final inning in relief. Michael Volgende (4-1) suffered his first loss of the year for the Jumbos, giving up five hits and five earned runs while striking out three in 1.1 innings. Silas Reed tossed the next 4.2 innings, whiffing seven and giving up three hits and a run, while Justin Wells threw the top of the seventh in relief.

GAME TWO | Amherst 4, Tufts 1
Refusing to have their offense stifled after taking an early 1-0 lead, the Mammoths, playing as the home team, continuously made solid contact at the plate – striking out just twice in game two – to chip away at the Tufts' defense and pull away down the stretch to capture a 4-1 victory and the program's fifth NESCAC title.

• Notching a single at the top of the lineup, first-year Michael Perales powered a shot through the right side to safely reach base before a single by Palmo put runners on the corners with no outs in the bottom of the first. Making the most of the opportunity, Qin drove a deep sacrifice fly to left to plate Perales and give Amherst a 1-0 edge.
• After registering only one hit through the first three innings and allowing just two Jumbos' to reach base, Tufts broke through in the top of the fourth to even the score at 1-1 after a Kyle Cortese home run to lead off the inning forced a deadlock.
• The Jumbos looked to capitalize on the energy of Cortese's blast, logging back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second with no outs, however Sachin Nambiar '22 forced two fly outs and struck out Connor Flavin to clean the slate.
• Wasting little time before retaking the lead, Amherst plated what stood as the game-winning run in the fifth as Palmo sent his second hit of the nightcap through the right side to score Perales.
• Giving themselves some breathing room in the sixth, the Mammoths' extended their lead to 4-1 after a throwing error with two outs allowed one run to score before Perales singled to center to plate another Amherst tally.
• With the league title three outs away heading into the seventh, Amherst made quick work of the final inning as the Mammoths' retired the side in order via a strike out, line out and fly out to seal the victory and the NESCAC crown.

Perales, Palmo, and Qin earned the RBIs for Amherst in the contest, while Perales' three-hits led all players.

Forcing seven fly balls and eight ground outs en route to recording a complete game for Amherst, Nambiar (2-1) tossed 7.0 innings in the win, striking out six and giving up only five hits and one run. Brendan McFall (2-1) took the loss for the Jumbos, giving up three runs and three hits in 2.1 innings, while Cameron Mayer, Spencer Langdon, and Lucas Gustavson also saw time on the mound for Tufts.