Hamilton College Softball takes on Williams in 2016 home opener

Ursula Castiblanco '19 (Josh McKee photo)

Williams College scored two unearned runs in the top of the fifth inning and the Ephs recorded a 3-1 NESCAC West Division win against the Hamilton College Continentals at Hamilton's Ferguson Field on Friday.

Williams (21-6, 4-0 NESCAC West) won for the ninth time in its last 10 games. The Ephs are one of five teams in the "others receiving votes" category in this week's Division III Top 25 coaches poll.

Ursula Castiblanco '19 hit her second triple and scored the Continentals' run. Pitchers Molly
Leitner '19, Desmen DePaulis '19 and Zoe Singer '18 combined to allow one earned run on seven hits and three walks.

Mackenzie Murphy starred in the circle and at the plate for Williams. Murphy (8-2) allowed just one hit in seven innings, struck out seven and walked none. She retired 18 of the last 19 batters she faced and the only Hamilton hitter to reach base in the last five innings did so via an infield error. Murphy went 2-for-3 with her fifth double.

Melissa Cendejas, who cracked her second double this year, was the only other Eph with two hits. Williams entered the day with a team batting average of .323.

The Ephs grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Cendejas hit a one-out double to left center and scored on a single through the right side by Brenna Martinez with two away.

The Continentals (9-15, 2-5) evened the score in the bottom half of the inning. Castiblanco led off with a deep drive down the right field line and as she slid into third base, the throw from the cutoff skipped away. The ball ended up out of play and Castiblanco jogged home with her team-leading 17th run.

Williams scored the go-ahead runs in the fifth. Alison Michalik reached base with one out on a fielding error by the shortstop and went to second when the ball eluded the left and center fielders. Michalik advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on another infield error. After a bunt moved Erica Li over to second base, Kacey Cramer drove her in with a two-out single through the right side.

Two fine defensive plays by Hamilton kept the Continentals within two runs. The Ephs lined into an inning-ending double play to shortstop Helen Lin '19 in the sixth. In the seventh with runners on second and third and two outs, center fielder Olivia Gozdz '16 ran towards the gap in deep right center and snared a line drive with an over-the-shoulder catch.