Baseball drops three to Amherst

Author: Dillon Hupp

Because only division games count toward the playoff standings in NESCAC baseball, this past weekend's series versus division rival Amherst was especially crucial in determining Middlebury's playoff fate. The Amherst series was the first NESCAC action for the Panthers since their series with Tufts two weekends ago, in which Middlebury took only one of four games. Head Coach Bob Smith cited inconsistency in the defense and pitching as one of the reasons Middlebury struggled in the Tufts series. "We are trying to be more consistent with all phases of the game and have yet to put it all together," he said.

However, that consistency appeared to be lacking this weekend, when Middlebury was swept by the Lord Jeffs in a three-game series at Amherst.

The first game of the series, which took place on Friday, was a tightly-contested, low-scoring affair, with the outcome in question until the very end. Middlebury tied the game at one apiece in the third inning when Danny Seymour '10 drove in Pete Bourdon '09 after Bourdon's double. The Panthers would have scored more if not for Amherst's diving catch of a Donny McKillop '11 shot to right field.

After Amherst took a 3-1 lead in the seventh, Middlebury struck again in the eighth when Andrew Matson '09 drove in Captain Mark Shimrock '09 on a sacrifice fly, cutting the lead to one. However, Amherst added two more runs in their half of the eighth, making the tally 5-2.

Middlebury scored again in the ninth when McKillop drove in Seymour, but the rally was not enough, as the Lord Jeffs held on for the 5-3 victory. Nick Angstman '11 was the losing pitcher for Middlebury, falling to 1-3 on the year.

The remaining games in the series were played in a doubleheader on Saturday. Game one of the doubleheader, much like the first game of the series, was a close, hard-fought contest. The game started well for the Panthers, as they added five hits to an Amherst error to score five runs in the top of the second inning. McKillop, Seymour, and Erich Enns '10 all recorded RBIs in the inning. However, Middlebury would score no more runs in the game.

Amherst added one of its own in the bottom of the second and three more in the fourth to make it 5-4, and eventually took the lead in the fifth when Angus Schaller doubled in two runs, making it 6-5 in favor of the Lord Jeffs. After Amherst scored its final run in the bottom of the sixth, the Panthers came tantalizingly close to tying the game in the last inning. Shimrock reached on an error with one out, and pinch runner Murph McCurdy '12 reached third after Enns singled and advanced to second. However, the next two batters flied out, preserving the 7-5 victory for Amherst. Steve Shortle '09 got the loss for Middlebury after giving up three earned runs in four and one-third innings of work.

The second game of the day and the final one of the series, unlike the previous two, was not a close contest. Amherst led 5-1 after the fourth inning and then exploded for 12 runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it a 17-1 final. Middlebury managed only four hits and one run, that run coming in the third when Seymour drove in Zach Roeder '12 on a sacrifice fly. Matt Joseph '09 recorded the loss, going six and a third innings and giving up seven earned.

After the three-game sweep, Middlebury's record stands at 9-14, with a 1-7 record in NESCAC play. The 3-4-5 hitting combination of McKillop, Shimrock and Enns performed extremely well for the Panthers, as they went a combined 13-34 in the series.