Baseball goes 1-3 against Tufts

Author: Dillon Hupp

Middlebury baseball was back in action this past weekend, playing a four-game series with Tufts. The Tufts series followed a 14-5 victory over Plymouth State and a split series versus division rival Wesleyan two weekends ago, but the Panthers could only garner a single win out of the four games against the Jumbos.

The series opened at Tufts in Medford, Mass., where the Panthers and Jumbos were set to play a doubleheader. The Jumbos jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first game, assisted by three Middlebury errors in the bottom of the second inning. The Panthers would tie the game in the sixth on singles by Mark Shimrock '09, Erich Enns '10, Andrew Matson '09 and a two-run double by Zach Roeder '12.

The rally was short-lived, however, and Tufts took the lead back in the home half of the inning on an error, a hit batsmen and a walk. The Panthers went down in order in the top of the seventh, giving Tufts the 6-4 victory.

Matt Joseph '09 recorded the loss for Middlebury, going five innings and giving up five runs, none of which were earned.

Tufts completed the doubleheader sweep with a 9-4 victory in the second game. The Jumbos led 6-1 after three innings, with the only Panther run coming on a Pete Bourdon '09 RBI single in the second. Middlebury added three more runs in the top of the seventh on RBIs from Joey Liberator '11 and Matt LoRusso '11, with Liberator scoring later on a wild pitch.

However, it was not enough to overcome the Tufts lead, and the Panthers would score no more runs on the day. Rob Palladino '09 was the losing pitcher for Middlebury, giving up five earned in just one inning of work.

The series resumed in Middlebury on Saturday with another doubleheader, this time at Forbes field.

The Panthers used an explosive 12-run sixth inning to overcome an 8-4 Jumbos' lead and earn the 16-8 victory. The inning started with a Bourdon single and a Matt Wassel '12 walk, followed by Liberator being hit by a pitch to load the bases.

After Tim Dillon '09 was walked to bring in the first run, Danny Seymour '10 and Donny McKillop '11 both singled, tying the game for the Panthers. Seymour and McKillop would both add additional RBIs in the inning after Middlebury batted around, McKillop's on a single and Seymour's on a three-run triple. Wassel and Enns also each recorded RBIs in the mammoth inning, and Tufts would score no more on their way to their first loss of the series.

McKillop was 3-5 on the day with 6 RBIs and a home run, while Steve Shortle '09 earned his second win of the season, giving up five earned runs in five and one- third innings.

Maybe the Panthers should have saved some offense for the second game of the day, as the offense that has been so prolific throughout the season appeared to be nonexistent. Tufts did the bulk of their damage in the sixth, scoring four times on two hits and a Panther error.

The only Middlebury run came in the second when Enns scored on an error, and the Panthers would manage only four hits against Tufts starter Derek Miller, their lowest offensive output of the season.

Miller earned a complete game 8-1 victory, while Nick Angstman '11 recorded the loss, his second of the season. Angstman went five innings and gave up five earned runs.

The Panthers next NESCAC action comes in a critical three-game series at Amherst starting April 17th. The Panthers need to pick up some league wins in order to improve their standing before the playoffs. Middlebury is currently 1-4 in NESCAC play, 8-10 overall.

Shimrock, who was 6-for-10 in the Tufts series, continues to hit at a torrid pace for the Panthers and currently boasts a batting average of .462.