Softball continues charge to the top Hot bats and solid pitching lead Panther attack in NESCAC play

Author: Kellan Florio

One week after being no-hit by a dominant Williams pitching staff, the Panther bats awoke from their slumber, exploding for 43 runs over six games this week, sweeping NESCAC foes Wesleyan and Hamilton and splitting a pair with Castleton State to improve their record to 11-7 (5-1 in NESCAC). Sophomore pitcher Jen Williams (4-4) and senior co-captain Lauren Guza led the women throughout the week with Williams going 4-0 on the mound and Guza terrorizing opposing batters at the plate.

With senior co-captain and star pitcher Megan McCarthy sidelined with tendonitis in her forearm, the Panthers handed the ball over to Williams, despite beginning the week win-less in four starts this season. Williams would not disappoint as she started the week with a complete game five inning one-hit effort in a 10-1 rout of Castleton on Thursday, earning her first win of the season. Maura Casey '07 provided most of the Panthers' offense as she went 3 for 3 with two doubles and five RBI's. Colleen Sullivan '07 also enjoyed a big day at the plate going 2 for 3 with two doubles and a pair of RBI's.

First-year Brittany Burke (2-2) took the mound for the second leg of the doubleheader at Castleton, which turned out to be an epic 10-inning battle with each side exchanging blows in the extra frames. With the score tied at three heading into the top of the eighth, the Panthers exploded for four runs capped by a Sullivan two-run home run and appeared to have the game wrapped up. However, the scrappy Castleton side managed to answer back with four runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie the score at 17. Middlebury regained the lead in the top of the ninth on a Victoria Glowacky '06 RBI single, but could not hold on once again in the bottom half as Castleton knotted the score at eight on an unearned run. After the Panthers stranded a runner at third in the top of the 10th, Castleton capitalized on the opportunity and quickly scored in the bottom half to take the victory 9-8. In the end, the Panthers' six errors would cost them four unearned runs despite some solid pitching from Burke.

Leaving their defensive woes behind, the Panthers went on to commit only one error over their next four games while surrendering no unearned runs. Williams took the mound in the first half of the doubleheader at Hamilton and was near perfect as she tossed a complete game (five innings) one-hit shutout, while walking none and striking out four. The Panthers got out to an early lead with five runs in the top of the second and never looked back. They would go on to add three more in the fourth for a final of 8-0. Guza, Lauren Battaglia '06 and Katelyn Cannella '08 provided the offense as they combined to go 5 for 9 with four RBI's, four runs and four stolen bases.

The onslaught continued in the nightcap, with the Panthers running up a score of 9-1 in another mercy-rule curtailed outing. Middlebury wasted no time getting on the board as they opened the match with four runs in the top of the first inning on four base hits and some sloppy Hamilton fielding. After being held scoreless over the next four innings, the Panthers would tag Hamilton's Eaton for five more runs in the top of the sixth capped by Guza's 2-RBI double. Burke worked around seven hits to pick up her second victory of the season, pitching all six innings while surrendering just one run. Guza, Glowacky, Cannella and Christine Grimaldi '08 each collected a pair of hits to lead Middlebury at the plate.

"We were coming off a scrappy game against Castleton and we knew that we'd have to make a major turn around for these NESCAC games," noted McCarthy. "Hamilton has traditionally been a good team but we really came out with the bats and run-ruled them both games."

"We all finally broke out of our hitting slumps and really hit the ball all throughout our line up," acknowledged Head Coach Angie Totaro. "Jen Williams pitched an excellent first game holding them to one hit and Brittany Burke also pitched great in game two holding them scoreless until the sixth inning."

Williams continued to dominate opposing batters in the Panthers' doubleheader at Wesleyan on Sunday where she pitched two complete games, earning victories in both outings. In game one, Williams fired a seven-inning three-hit shutout while walking only one and striking out four. The top half of the Panther line-up did all the damage, with Guza going 3 for 3 with a run and an RBI from the leadoff spot, while Battaglia added a crucial 2-RBI double in the top of the fifth to double their lead to 4-0. Sullivan then singled in Battaglia to close out the scoring at 5-0.

Gunning for her third win in two days, Williams used both her arm and her bat to get the job done in the second leg of the doubleheader, as the Panthers survived a late Wesleyan rally to win their fourth straight, 3-2. Williams got Middlebury on the board first, helping her own cause with a 2-RBI single to right in the top of the second inning. Kathryn Hurd '06 would add to Middlebury's lead an inning later as her suicide squeeze scored Grimaldi, bringing the score to 3-0. Wesleyan would fight back, however, as they plated two runs in the bottom of the sixth with two outs to narrow the gap to one run. That would be all the scoring the Cardinals could muster, however, as Williams settled down to retire the next four batters she faced to close out the game.

"Since returning from spring training we have really tried to focus on staying up and putting as much effort into the second game as we do the first, and after losing the second game to Castleton last Thursday we became even more determined to come home this weekend with four wins," mentioned Williams in reference to the team's 1-6 record in the second game of doubleheaders prior to this weekend. "Everyone was really focused and having fun and playing like we're capable of, and there's nothing better than pitching for a team like that."

"Sweeping Hamilton and Wesleyan this weekend was a very positive step for our team, because the wins put us in a good position for the NESCAC playoffs, but also because beating them so decisively showed us that we're capable of playing at a higher level than we'd been at earlier in the season," commented Guza, whose stellar week at the plate going 14 for 21 and raising her average from .263 to .407 earned her NESCAC player of the week honors for the first time in her career. "Our defense was as solid as I've ever seen it, and our bats really came alive this weekend," she said.

"We're improving every day, and we're playing with so much more intensity, composure and confidence now," continued Guza. "I think this past week will really provide us with the momentum we need heading into the match up with Amherst that will decide our final standings in the conference."

McCarthy added, "If we keep playing like we did this weekend, there's no question we'll be taking home the NESCAC championship."

The Amherst doubleheader will be played at Middlebury with the first game scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday.