Softball team sees mixed results

Author: Elissa Goeke

The spring season is well underway as evidenced by the softball teams 9-9 record following this weekend's series against the Wesleyan Cardinals. Thus far, the season has had its ups and downs, but there is plenty of time for the Panthers to prove themselves in NESCAC games.

In retrospect, the team's trip to California was successful on many levels. For the first 11 games, the team went 5-6. Megan Margel '11 led the team on the trip, hitting .394 with four doubles. Although Williams took the series in the team's first NESCAC series, the team gained the experience necessary for the remainder of the season.

The squad had its home opener against Skidmore on March 31 soon after their return from California and they proved their resilience by taking both games.

The Panthers took the first game 3-1 and the nightcap with a score of 7-6 as the match ended in eight innings due to darkness.

Middlebury entered the seventh inning down 5-0, but the resilient team continued to give their full effort. They earned five runs in the seventh inning alone. After Skidmore scored one more run, bringing the score to 5-6 in the Thoroughbreds' favor, the Panthers retaliated with two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. All-around persistence and focus proved successful in the longrun for Middlebury: pitcher Geena Constantin '11 even tied a school record with 15 strikeouts.

The next contest for the Panthers was a doubleheader the following day against Castleton State. Fatigue from the doubleheader the day before was clearly not an issue as the Panthers proved themselves again, winning both - 7-1 and 9-7, respectively. Just like the day before, pitching was key. Ali McAnaney '11 threw close to nine innings allowing only one earned run.

Co-captain Amelia Magistrali '09 commented on the games with a positive outlook. "We've proven this week that we can handle the pressure in do-or-die situations," she said.

Middlebury faced more NESCAC competition again this weekend at Wesleyan. The team lost all three games with scores of 0-4, 3-4, and 2-8.

Although the outcome may not have been what the team had hoped for after such a strong week, there is certainly potential for the future. Wesleyan is currently ranked number one in the NESCAC West Division with a record of 4-2 in conference and 9-10 overall. Middlebury certainly gained experience from playing the top-ranked team.

Although, there were contributions from all members of the team, there were certain individual performers that stood out. One highlight from the weekend was Kristin Maletsky's '10 performance on Saturday, as she went 4-for-7 with two doubles. Other important contributors were Constantin, Alyson Downing '12 and Nellie Wood '11, who combined for three runs in the fourth inning of the second game on Saturday with an RBI double from Constantin and singles from both Downing and Wood.

Saturday's second game in particular was very close, proving that Middlebury can fight with top teams like Wesleyan.

Magistrali '09 summed it up by saying that "the NESCAC is very competitive this season - every league game will be a tough contest that we need to prepare for."

The future looks bright as the Middlebury softball team has improved and gained more experience from each and every game.