WORCESTER -- Sydney Russell (Arlington, VA) tallied four hits and scored three times in the doubleheader and Destiny Lum (Kahaluʻu, HI) homered and knocked in four runs but WPI dropped both ends of the twinbill with visiting Amherst on Wednesday in a -conference matchup on Rooftop Field.  The Mammoths took the opener 8-2 before holding on for an 11-9 victory in game two. 

The host Engineers are now 3-9 on the season while Amherst improved to 12-2 overall. 

Dani Torres Werra (Merced, CA) picked up the game one victory for Amherst while Abby Moravek (LIbertyville, IL) earned the win in game two.  

GAME ONE 

Amherst got on the board first and never looked back en route to the win. Randi Finkelstein (Merrick, NY) started the scoring with a sacrifice fly to centerfield in the second inning, before the Mammoths put together a three-run fourth inning which featured a two-run roundtripper from Sadie Pool (Yorba Linda, CA) and another RBI from Finkelstein. 

Amherst gained a 6-0 lead in the top of the fifth before a Kallie Case (Phoenix, AZ) single to centerfield that brought home Alicia Salvalzo (Hudson, NH) got the Engineers on the board in the bottom half of the frame.  

Finkelstein sent a solo shot out in the sixth and Pool drove home another in the top of the seventh to take an 8-1 lead. But WPI did not go away, getting another on the board in the bottom of the seventh as a Russell single to right field brought home Emma Nagy (Monroe, WA) to cut things to 8-2.  

GAME TWO 

Game two featured an offensive battle that saw WPI get things going in the bottom of the first inning.  

Lum knocked in two of her four runs of the day, beginning things with a two-run blast which drove home Russell for a quick 2-0 lead.  

Amherst responded in the top of the second with a two-run double to even things out and then another double to center to make it a 3-2 game in favor of the Mammoths. But WPI struck back in the bottom half of the frame, evening the score on a double steal to make it three-all as Meghan Urakawa (Chandler, AZ) touched home. Later in the inning a Lindsay Ambrosino (Chelmsford, MA) single up the middle brought home Russell to make it a 4-3 game.  

Amherst tallied eight unanswered runs over the course of the next few innings thanks to a pair of homers from Finkelstein to build up an 11-4 lead, but once again WPI did not go down without a fight as they put together a five run seventh.  

Lum doubled to left center bringing home Ambrosino and Russell, followed by a Nagy single to right center that brought home another pair of Engineers and make it an 11-8 game. Urakawa grounded out to third with the bases loaded to bring home Salvalzo and get WPI within two, 11-9. But that was as close as the Engineers would get in the loss. 

WPI is back in action Saturday at noon, hosting Eastern Connecticut in a showdown a pair of 2022 NCAA Division III Finals participants. Amherst opens NEWMAC play as Wesleyan at the same time Saturday.