Softball Eliminated on First-Ever trip to NESCAC Tournament

Author: Kate Nerenberg

Deflated by a three-game losing streak to finish off the regular season, the Middlebury softball team could not muster enough strength to come up victorious in its first-ever New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) tournament. After being swept by Norwich early in the week, the Panthers traveled to Colby to test their bats in postseason play. Following a first-round loss to the host White Mules, Williams sent Middlebury home the next day.
Despite the season coming to an end, the Panthers could not have asked for a better year. The team set the school record for wins in a season with 17 and with a mid-season 11-game sequence of victories, set the school mark for longest winning streak. Christina Freyer '04 made a name for herself, rewriting the record books. With 42 hits, she set the single-season record in that category, as well as topping the runs-scored list with 26. Freyer's .433 batting average places her second on the single-season list, with a year left in her career.
Against Norwich, the Panthers perhaps had their focus set on the upcoming tournament rather than the immediate game at hand. In the first contest of the doubleheader, Middlebury appeared to have the game under control, posting six runs within the first three innings, while holding Norwich scoreless. However, Norwich came storming back and answered with five runs, while shutting the Panthers off for the next four innings. In the bottom of the seventh, Norwich came up with the two runs it needed for the 7-6 victory. Despite the loss, the Panthers were encouraged by the widespread hitting, as eight different players connected at the plate.
The second game was less of a fight, as Norwich used strong defense to stifle any chance of a Middlebury attack. Only allowing six hits, Norwich scored early to establish dominance. Despite the two-hit effort of Kathryn Hurd '06, the Panthers could not get their game off the ground, giving up 11 hits and six runs. The hitting troubles against Norwich would only foreshadow the Panthers' problems at the NESCAC tournament.
"The Norwich losses were disappointing, but we were really looking forward to NESCACs," Freyer noted. "We were unbelievably proud of ourselves for making it there and we were just hoping for the best."
The best did not happen, however. Middlebury, ranked second in the West division, took on Colby, the East division's number one seed, a team the Panthers had defeated twice earlier this season. However, the White Mules switched up their pitcher, which only made the Panthers more nervous.
"We didn't string our hitting together. We had a couple of nerves and they pitched with a pitcher we hadn't seen much of," explained Freyer.
In fact, Middlebury posted one of their worst hitting games of the season, only connecting four times, with half of the hits coming off Freyer's bat. Although the Panthers held Colby defensively for the first three innings, the White Mules finally broke open the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth with one run. In the next inning, they scored three more and just held on for the 4-0 victory.
The next day, the Panthers faced Williams, who had lost to eventual NESCAC champion Tufts in the first round. Earlier this season, the teams split games when they played a doubleheader at Middlebury.
This game belonged solely to the Ephs, however, as they took an immediate lead that proved to be enough for a victory. Within the first two innings, Williams had a 7-1 lead that it never relinquished. Hurd's RBI ground out in the first sent Lauren Guza '05 home for the Panthers' only run. Freyer again registered two hits on the afternoon.
"Williams hit better than us," said Freyer. "When Megan McCarthy '05 came in [to pitch] we held them. We went there to play, we just weren't the team that beat Amherst [on April 19]."
Tournament losses aside, this season has been a huge step for the softball team. In only its fourth year of existence, the squad is excited about continuing the tradition of excellence it established this season.
"I'm really excited about next year. We have rookies who show a lot of maturity and can come up big in the clutch. All of our returners are ready to take the team forward," commented Freyer.
The Panthers will look to make waves in the NESCAC tournament next season.