Jeffs get serious, take series 2-1

Author: Livingston Burgess

Entering last weekend's three-game series with NESCAC West Division leader Amherst, the pressure was squarely on the shoulders of the host. Only a sweep could give the Panthers a chance at a spot in the conference tournament. So when Middlebury blew out the Lord Jeffs Friday afternoon, interested parties started holding their collective breath, whispering the what-ifs that follow thin hopes wherever baseball is played. In the middle of Saturday's double-header, though, the wheels came off. With bad breaks and sloppy defense sullying the return of co-captain pitcher Justin Wright '08 from injury, the Panthers dropped both games on the day, falling to 10-12 (2-7 NESCAC).

In Friday's opener, pitcher Jack Britton '08 enjoyed the support of a consistent and fundamentally sound offensive attack. The top of the lineup moved runners well to set up Mark Shimrock '09 for his game-high four runs batted in. Erich Enns '10 also homered from the sixth spot to showcase Middlebury's top-to-bottom strength, with eight of the nine starters chalking up hits. When the dust settled, the Panthers had sealed a 14-8 victory.

Nick Angstman '11 took the mound the next day and started off cruising through the Amherst nine. He pitched much better than his line would suggest- 4.1 innings, eight hits, six runs, three earned - while his offense staked him to a 7-1 lead going into the fifth inning. A series of singles and an error by third baseman John Lanahan '08, however, put three runs across with one out when Wright made his first appearance on the year. He inherited two runners that quickly became three with a sharp single. The lefty induced a roller to third that might have ended the threat, but Lanahan threw high, pulling catcher Nick Lefeber '08 off home, then booted another grounder with the bases still loaded before Wright could shut the Jeffs down, clinging to a 7-6 lead.

In the seventh, it was more of the same, as Amherst laid on single after single to push across two more for a lead that held up when Shimrock went down swinging with the tying run at second.

"It was really too bad," said Lefeber, who thought Wright was very sharp and only a little off with his command, "that his coming back got overshadowed by that stuff."

The final game was out of reach almost as soon as it started, as the rejuvenated Jeff lineup scored five in the first and chased Middlebury starter Chris Hansen '08 after two-thirds of an inning, en route to a 14-8 loss.

Nevertheless, Lefeber maintained a positive outlook on the remainder of the season, in spite of the weekend's games.

"We've just got to continue to have fun," he said. "We're below .500 right now, and we're not going to finish below .500. It's important for us to get another winning season under our belt."