MEDFORD, Mass. - The Trinity College Bantams doubled up the Williams College Ephs, 8-4, in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Softball Quarterfinals in the early afternoon but were narrowly beaten, 2-1, by the Amherst College Mammoths in the semifinals later in the day.  Trinity's season ends with a 19-14 record, while Amherst advances to the finals tomorrow against the tournament host Tufts University Jumbos.  Trinity first-year SS Taylor Mikolajczak (John's Creek, Ga.) went 6-for-7 at the plate for the day.

Trinity was the home team against Williams as the No. 2 seed in the NESCAC East Division and trailed the Ephs, seeded No. 3 in the NESCAC West, 1-0, heading into the bottom of the first inning.  The Bantams jumped out of the gate with six runs in their first turn at bat, including the game-tying run on a sacrifice fly by sophomore 1B Kennedy Rogers (Pomona, Calif.) and going ahead, 3-1, on a two-run double by sophomore 2B Gianna Tito (East Hanover, N.J.).  Trinity senior co-captain C Alex Chambers (East Lyme, Conn.) and Mikolajczak added RBI singles later in the inning.  Williams scored three time in the third frame, but Trinity added two insurance runs in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Tiffany Stowers (Burke, Va.) and a run-scoring groundout by Chambers.  Trinity senior RHP Jordan Stephan (South Orange, N.J.) was stellar late, retiring six in a row in the fourth and fifth, and pitching around two singles in both the sixth and seventh to improve her season mark to 11-6.  Rogers and Tito had two hits apiece for the Trinity offense.

Trinity again fell behind early to the Mammoths, the top seed in the NESCAC West, as Amherst scored twice on a double, two singles, and a wild pitch in the first inning.  Trinity senior CF Maura Keary (Fairfield, Conn.), Mikolajczak,and junior 3B Michaela Russell (Boston, Mass.) singled consecutively in the the third inning, and Keary scored on a bases-loaded walk by Rogers.  The Bantams loaded the bases in the seventh frame on a single by Mikolajczak and walks by Russell and Rogers, but Amherst rookie Danie Werra came in relief and saved the game on a popup.  Stephan started game two and allowed two runs early, but Stowers kept the Mammoths off the board for her 4.2 innings of work in the circle.  Stowers yielded just two hits with two strikeouts and did not walk a batter.  Senior Talia Bloxham went 6.2 innings and allowed six hits with 4 K's to earn the win for the Mammoths.