LONGMEADOW — When a long fly ball reached the back of Amherst’s Spencer Waite’s glove on Friday, it didn’t just give the Hurricanes their 21st out to secure a 3-1 victory at Longmeadow — it also let the team know that this year is different.
The last time Amherst and Longmeadow faced off, the Lancers dominated for a 22-0 victory. But the Hurricanes knew that last year was, indeed, last year.
“Last year, we were the youngest team in Western Mass.,” said Amherst head coach Jeff Gladu. “And for us to come out every game and take it and take it and take it… This year’s identity is on the back of my shirt — relentless. It starts from top to bottom, and I challenge these guys to just give me a little bit better than what you’ve given me in the past. We got some opportunities and we made the most of them.”
It was the first victory for Amherst (1-2) since the club beat Longmeadow on May 30, 2019. The ’Canes didn’t win a game last season and the 2020 campaign was canceled due to COVID-19.
Winning a low-scoring affair requires pristine pitching, which is exactly what the Hurricanes received on Friday. Freshman Thatcher Rudnik pitched well beyond his years, allowing just one hit and no earned runs while striking out six in 6 1/3 innings.
“The kid’s a competitor. He’s going to punch you in the mouth every chance he gets,” Gladu said.
Rudnik was able to go deep into the game without an earned run because of his ability to buckle down when the moment mattered most. Longmeadow finished 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. That included a strikeout with men on second and third and two outs in the first inning, and another strikeout with men on the corners and two outs in the fourth inning.
“[My strategy was to go] right after them,” Rudnik said. “I knew they couldn’t touch me. I trusted my boys behind me, and we knew we were getting out of that situation.”
Offensively, the Hurricanes used patience as their strength. They walked four times in the first inning, and a balk with runners on the corners scratched the first run across.
In the top of the third inning with one out, Elijah Rubinstein reached on a single, which was followed by a long fly ball by Charles May that went over the center fielder’s head and put runners on second and third. A wild pitch brought Rubinstein in, then Rudnik drove May in on a single to make it 3-0.
The final inning featured key contributions from Amherst captain Nate Mills. For the first out in the bottom of the seventh, he made a diving stop on a ground ball and tagged first base. After a Longmeadow walk, he came on to pitch and struck his first batter out. Next, he induced a fly out to secure the save and earn Rudnik the victory.