The 26–7 Middlebury softball team split a two-game series against Amherst last weekend. The Panthers have cooled off recently ahead of the playoffs, following a blistering start to the season.
The team split a doubleheader at Williams the day before arriving at Amherst. In the first game, McKenna Lont ’26 struggled in the first game for the Panthers, giving up four runs over the first two innings. But Middlebury responded in the third inning, knotting the game at 4-4 thanks to RBI singles by Olivia Fleming ’28 and Jen Westphal ’26.
In the fourth, Kristyn Carroll ’26 launched a home run to center field that sailed dangerously near some cars parked just beyond the fence. “One of my biggest things when I get in the box is that I don’t want to think too much,” Carroll said. “Making sure I stay within myself and getting a solid hit — and it worked out.”
Carroll is batting .513 on the season and is chasing the single-season record set by Emma Hamilton in 2016 at .521. She attributes her success to playing non-stop tournaments when she was younger. “In the moment, it feels like so much,” Carroll explained. “But I think that has really paid off for me.”
Middlebury tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning to make it 8-4. After Lont’s shaky start, Emily Ye ’28 tossed three scoreless innings before giving up two runs in the bottom of the sixth. The Mammoths brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh, but Emily Dowd ’29 forced a popout to close out the game.
Dowd stayed warm and started the second game of the twin bill, continuing her dominant campaign. She has pitched almost 80 innings with a 2.02 ERA and is the first Panther rookie pitcher to have 10 or more wins since Emily Morris ’21 in 2018.
The game was mostly uneventful up until the third inning when Carroll reached on a fielder’s choice. She then stole second base, her 29th of the year, before dashing for third on a passed ball. Unfortunately, 90 feet away was the closest Middlebury came to scoring all game. Amherst came to life in the bottom of the fourth inning, helped on by a few Middlebury errors. After a bunt to reach first, a Mammoth batter reached third on two consecutive wild pitches. Dowd struck out the next batter, then gave up a weak groundball to the second baseman, whose errant throw allowed Amherst to score. Amherst took a 3-0 lead following two more Middlebury errors and a sacrifice bunt. The Middlebury offense couldn’t produce any runs, although two runners reached base in the top of the seventh. With the win, Amherst improved its record to a dismal 10-22.
The Panthers headed home sitting at fifth place in the NESCAC standings with four games left before the playoffs. Although boasting an impressive record, the team struggled in its recent spate of games against NESCAC opponents, who tend to field competitive teams. Last weekend, they lost three of four games to 14th-ranked Colby and 12th-ranked Tufts.
However, Carroll remains confident that the Panthers can hoist the NESCAC trophy for the first time since 2010: “We can definitely go a long way if we just all stick together for the rest of the season.”
