Freyer's Bat Helps Softball Knock Down Ephs

Author: Kate Nerenberg

The Middlebury softball team made history on Sunday. For the first time in its four-year existence, it beat perennial New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) powerhouse Williams in the first game of a doubleheader. Although the Panthers dropped the second of these two games, they were enthusiastic about the potential of the team and their ability to rally from a deficit.
Christina Freyer '04 was the story of the first game. She anchored the team, going two for three at bat, sent two balls over the fence and hit three RBI. Megan McCarthy '05 pitched a strong six innings before Andrea Russo '03 relieved her and earned the win. The Panthers were resilient in the win, refusing to give up. Going into the bottom of the seventh inning, they trailed 7-5. However, using strong hitting, the team was able to gain the three runs it needed for the 8-7 win.
"It showed that our team has a lot of heart this year," said Freyer. "[Williams is] an unbelievable team, one of the top teams in our division. We came up with big hits when we needed them."
The team did not fare as well in the second game, however. The Panthers rode their momentum from the first game into the next, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. They quickly lost steam as the Williams defense did not allow any more runs. The Ephs started scoring in the fourth inning and did not let up, including a seven-run sixth inning to put them up 11-5, where the score stayed for the remainder of the game.
Freyer had another strong game, registering a double on the afternoon while McCarthy and Co-captain Kelly Slack '03 had two hits each.
The Panthers will take on Lyndon on Wednesday in another doubleheader. The Panthers also have Saturday's doubleheader against NESCAC opponent Wesleyan in the back of their minds.
"We are looking to keep up our potential as a team. We want to prove to our conference that Middlebury is a team to be reckoned with," commented Freyer.