Softball Rewrites History, Heads to NESCACs for First Time

Author: Kate Nerenberg

Although the Middlebury softball team's hot winning streak sadly came to end, it still has reason to celebrate. For the first time ever, the Panthers are heading to the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) tournament. After playing their last regular-season NESCAC game on Saturday against Hamilton, the Panthers finished in second place in the West division behind Williams.
Leading up to its last NESCAC doubleheader, Middlebury took on both St. Lawrence and Green Mountain, going 1-1 in each pair of games. Coming off two huge wins against then number-one ranked Amherst last weekend, the Panthers were looking to go into some of their last games with extra momentum.
"We became focused on Hamilton and the possibility of a NESCAC bid," explained Head Coach Diane Boettcher. "We knew solid pitching performances and tactical hitting would become more important."
In the first game at St. Lawrence, the Panthers showcased their hitting talent in the second inning, recording six runs to spring ahead early on. "Credit Christina Freyer '04 and her creative baserunning to open that game up. She initiated a double delay steal," Boettcher exclaimed.
St. Lawrence could only squeak out one run in the sixth before Middlebury sealed the victory with one more in the top of the seventh. Lindsay Ladd '03, Kelly Slack '03 and Megan McCarthy '05 each registered two hits in the 7-1 victory. Andrea Russo '03 pitched for 5 1/3 innings while Lauren Bowe '04 finished the game off.
The Panthers were not so lucky in the second game, falling 5-3. The teams exchanged runs, with St. Lawrence scoring twice in the bottom of the first. Middlebury answered with two of its own in the top of the second. St. Lawrence answered with a run in the third and Middlebury came back with an equal response in the next inning. However, when St. Lawrence challenged the Panthers with two more in the bottom of the fifth, they never mustered the strength to answer.
The loss did not derail the Panthers' confidence, as they looked to their next match-up with Green Mountain to get their streak back on track, according Boettcher. The game proved to be tougher than anticipated, and the first battle went into an eighth inning, during which Green Mountain broke out with four runs to take away a 7-4 victory. In the loss, Lauren Guza '03 connected three times at the plate and Freyer recorded two RBI.
Middlebury broke out of its slump in the next game, however, hitting the ball 13 times for a convincing 9-1 win. The Panthers used the fourth and fifth innings to score a bunch of runs at once, putting Green Mountain away for good. Guza again had three hits, while Kathryn Hurd '06 brought four different players home.
Going to Hamilton on Saturday, the Panthers needed just one win to have a chance to get into the NESCAC tournament. In the first game, they got exactly what they needed: a 4-0 victory. In a tightly-played game, Middlebury scored right away but was then held scoreless until the fifth inning. In the top of the seventh, two more players crossed the plate, keeping the Continentals at bay. Guza and Hurd again came up big at the plate, with two hits apiece. McCarthy only allowed one hit and recorded the team's fifth shutout of the season.
The Panthers faltered in the second game, allowing Hamilton to get a quick five runs in the first inning. Although they did not allow any runs after this, that first inning proved lethal as the Continentals carried away the 5-3 victory.
"We are still allowing opponents a 'big inning,' which is problematic going into NESCACs," said Boettcher.
In a last-minute attempt to scrape up another win, the Panthers grabbed three run in the top of the seventh, but it was not enough. Michaela George '03 and Freyer each had three hits in the game.
In one last doubleheader, the Panthers will take on state-nemesis Norwich on Wednesday before heading to Maine for the NESCAC tournament on Friday. Middlebury will face Colby, the host school, in the first round. Colby finished first in the East division, but was Middlebury's first two wins very early this season.
"Our short game will be very critical, defensively and offensively," Boettcher noted. "We have a tremendous capacity to rally hit versus an average to good pitcher, yet we will be seeing better pitching across the board in NESCACs, so the short game will be in order."
If everything goes the same way the rest of this season has, the Panthers will continue to make waves in the league and continue to rewrite the Middlebury softball history books.