In Softball's Finest Week, Outcome Still Bittersweet

Author: Andrew Zimmermann

The Middlebury softball team left little to chance this past week by playing its best ball of the season going 4-2 in a race to make the NESCAC postseason. Megan McCarthy '05, the team's stopper, who had pitched in every Panther win coming into the week, got some needed help as Lauren Bowe '04 and Andrea Russo '03 pitched in to bring some necessary balance to the pitching staff. That coupled with solid hitting by the team as a whole accounted for its best week of the season and an improved record of 8-15.

Middlebury swept a twin bill against Green Mountain College to open the week Wednesday. Both the 5-1 and 7-4 wins were well-pitched games including impressive offensive efforts. McCarthy, the team ace and workhorse of the pitching staff, shut the instate rival down for much of the game before Russo came in to finish the deal.

The offensive standouts were many for the Panthers. Christina Freyer '04 was a perfect 4-4 from the plate including two rare triples, which helped her score three of the five Middlebury runs. Freyer continued her tear throughout in the subsequent games and finished the week an amazing .476 (10-21) including seven runs batted in (RBI). Lauren Guza '05, Alison Branch '02 and Kelly Slack '03 joined Freyer in the hit parade, each adding two hits apiece.

The second game saw more offense. Laura Legere '03, a steady hitter all season, collected three hits in four tries accounting for two of Middlebury's runs in the 7-4 victory. Freyer helped key a crucial rally in which the Panthers scored two in the sixth and two in the seventh. The hot-hitting sophomore went 3-5 with three RBI. Bowe picked up the first Middlebury victory not credited to McCarthy by going six strong innings.

Over the weekend the Panthers played Hamilton, a team with the same paltry league record of 0-4. It was a must for the team to come out with two victories if it were to have any chance at making the post-season NESCAC tournament. Unfortunately Middlebury split, dropping a heartbreaking loss in nine innings, 8-6.

In the loss, Middlebury led by two runs entering the final inning but allowed Hamilton to draw even. The home half of the seventh inning ended without a Middlebury run and the game was pushed to extra innings. In the ninth Hamilton pushed two runs across to steal a victory the Panthers desperately needed. Senior Amanda Bohnsack was the offensive star with three hits.

Behind an uplifting performance on the mound by Bowe, Middlebury took the second game 5-1. The sophomore, who is starting to round into her form of last year, allowed just the one run on six Hamilton hits. Bohnsack along with Michaela George '04 proved that two hits are better than one by collecting a pair each in the impressive win.

Over the weekend, both Amherst and Williams clinched postseason births in the NESCAC tournament. Because both teams represent the top qualifiers from the NESCAC West division of the softball league, they earned the automatic bids for postseason. With that Middlebury was formally eliminated from taking part in the tournament and will play out the remainder of the schedule for the pride and respect it has fought to earn all season long.