Karen Lockhart homered and drove in three runs on Saturday. (File photo by Josh Kuckens/Bates College) 

AMHERST, Mass. -- Senior Karen Lockhart homered and drove in three runs but Amherst swept the Bates softball team in a doubleheader on Saturday by scores of 8-0 and 7-4. 

Game One: Amherst 8, Bates 0 (5 innings)

Jackie Buechler (3-0) held the Bobcats to one hit in game one and Amherst prevailed in five innings by a score of 8-0.

Buechler tossed a complete game, striking out seven along the way. She did not walk a single Bates hitter.

First-year Andrea Russo (Cheshire, Conn.) recorded the lone hit in game one for Bates, a lead-off single in the top of the first. She advanced to second on and error but Buechler struck out the next three hitters to get out of the jam. 

Amherst scored two in the first, two in the second and four more in the third inning. They loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the first and Alena Marovitz drove in the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly. Back-to-back walks forced in a second run in the frame.

Amherst loaded the bases with nobody out again in the second inning. Brianna Cook drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. One out and one walk later, Sara Buck got hit by a pitch to force in the second run of the inning and the fourth run of the game.

With two outs and nobody on in the third, Julia Turner drew a walk. A Bates error allowed Sammy Salustri to reach safely and Turner scored on the play. Cook singled and Marovitz hit a three-run homer to put Amherst up by eight.

That was more than enough run support for Buechler. She worked around an error in the fourth and sent the side down in order in the fifth to end the game.

Game Two: Amherst 7, Bates 4

Amherst grabbed an early 6-0 lead in game two but had to hold on for dear life to secure a 7-4 win over the Bobcats.

After tallying an unearned run in the first inning, Amherst (17-5, 4-1 NECSAC) went up by four in the second frame when Annie Murphy hit a three-run homer. Two outs later, three singles in a row plated another run as Amherst grabbed a 5-0 lead. 

An Annie Apffel solo home run in the third inning extended the Amherst advantage to 6-0.

Meanwhile Amherst starter Lorena Ukanwa (7-1) retired the first 11 batters she faced.

That string ended in the top of the fourth when Lockhart (East Greenwich, R.I.) hit a solo home run to cut the deficit to 6-1.

After a scoreless fifth inning, the Bobcats (0-20, 0-6 NESCAC) scored three times in the sixth to get to within two runs. With one away, Russo reached on an error. Emma Schiller '18 (Natick, Mass.) singled and Lockhart tripled in both runners. Then she came in to score on a Maddie Inlow '17 (Falmouth, Maine) RBI double.

Ukanwa prevented further damage by striking out back-to-back hitters, ending the inning.

Amherst added a much-needed insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on an Apffel home run off the scoreboard in left-center. 

Bates went down in order in the top of the seventh as Amherst held on for the win.

The Bobcats are back in action Sunday as they visit Thomas College for a doubleheader starting at 2:00.