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(05/06/15 12:38pm)
The Middlebury Softball team concluded a successful season this weekend with a dramatic NESCAC playoff run, recording a win against a pair of losses in the conference tournament.
The Panthers opened the playoffs with a shutout loss to the eventual NESCAC champion Tufts on Friday, May 1. The Jumbos got on the board quickly, scoring a run in the bottom of the first. Middlebury threatened in the third inning, when Ali Della Volpe ’18 reached on error, followed by singles by Christina Bicks ’15 and Jackie Stearn ’16. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Tufts pitcher Allyson Formier navigated her way out of the jam to leave the bases loaded. The Panthers left runners on base in the fifth and sixth innings, and Tufts scored an insurance run in the sixth. Middlebury pitcher Neve Stearns ’16 took the loss.
The playoff tournament followed a double-elimination format, so the Panthers had another opportunity to continue their season. They rose to the occasion, defeating the Bowdoin Polar Bears 2-0 on Saturday, May 2.
The game remained scoreless until the fifth, when Kat Maehr ’16 walked and reached second on a fielder’s choice on a hit from Carlyn Vachow ’16. Later, Siobhan O’Sullivan ’17 doubled to drive in the first run. Bowdoin threatened in the top of the sixth inning, but Allison Quigley ’18 deftly survived the jam.
Stearn scored Middlebury’s second run in the bottom of the sixth through some smart base running. She walked, reached second on a ground out, and then scored on a Bowdoin error on a hit from Vachow. Quigley recorded the win and Stearns earned the save, combining for seven shutout innings.
Later in the day the Panthers faced Williams for their third game of the weekend. For the fourth time this season, Williams managed to overpower the Panthers.
The game remained scoreless until the fourth inning, when the Ephs scored three runs kicked off by a double from Taylor Donze. Williams followed up their three-run fourth inning with another three runs in the fifth, headlined by a two-run home run off of the bat of Lexi Curt.
Middlebury logged only one hit over the first five innings off of a single by Hye-Jin Kim ’17 in the third. The Panthers finally hit their offensive stride in the sixth inning. Della Volpe and Bicks led off the inning with back-to-back singles, and both advanced on a wild pitch. Vachow then drove them both in with a single, and Erin Giles ’17 later plated Vachow.
However, Williams pitcher Emma Harrington regained her footing and retired the next four batters to finish the game and end the season for the Panthers.
Middlebury finished its season with a 20-11 record, an improvement on last year’s 19-16 record. The team finished in the top four in the conference’s regular season and advanced to the postseason for the fifth consecutive year, continuing the longest streak of postseason appearances in the program’s relatively brief history.
The 2016 Panthers will have every opportunity to expand upon this recent string of successes, as the team will return many of their top-performing players from this year’s season.
Juniors Maehr and Vachow have established themselves among the conference’s most feared hitters this season — with both hitting over .300 and driving in 16-plus runs. Maehr has been particularly key for the Panthers, reaching base in exactly half of her plate appearances this season.
Sarah Freyre ’17 and O’Sullivan will similarly look to take on increased roles in the offense after breakout years at the plate in 2015.
On the mound, first-year Quigley solidified herself as the staff ace this year, holding opposing teams to less than two runs per game and striking out more than 100 batters as she racked up a 13-4 record on the season. With three more seasons left in Quigley’s career in Middlebury blue, the Panthers are nearly assured of continued success in the near future.
(04/29/15 6:36pm)
The Middlebury softball team finished up their busy regular season this week by winning a double header against Plymouth state and dropping the final game against Wesleyan on Sunday, April 26 to finish the regular season 19-9.
The first game of the home finale was a defensive battle, with the only run coming in the third inning. Kat Maehr ’16 scored the lone run on two wild pitches and a two out single by Erin Giles ’17. Plymouth State tried to come back from the deficit and had runners on base every inning except for the fourth, but was never able to plate a runner. Neve Stearns ’16 recorded the shutout win for the Panthers, improving her record to 7-3.
Middlebury’s bats came alive in the second game, scoring three runs in the first inning. The hosts continued to dominate by adding two runs in the fourth and fifth inning to take a commanding 7-0 lead. Plymouth State scored its lone run in the sixth inning when Rachel Morrissey singled, advanced to second on a walk, and came home off a single by teammate Nicole Abreu. The Panthers did not let this stop their offense and finished the game by scoring two more runs. Maehr opened the final inning with a double, followed by a single by Carlyn Vachow ’16. Siobhan O’Sullivan ’17 brought Maehr home, and Ali Della Volpe ’18 brought in Vachow on a sacrifice fly. Allison Quigley ’18 recorded the win, striking out seven to bring her record to 12-3.
Later in the weekend, the Panthers dropped their final game of the regular season, a makeup game against Wesleyan. Reilly Wieners of Wesleyan brought in both of the Cardinals’ runs with a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning. The lone run for the Panthers came in the fourth inning when Sarah Freyre ’17 plated Jackie Stern ’16, who was pinch running for Maehr. Quigley recorded the loss, retiring in the third. Stearns finished the game in the circle for the Panthers, giving up two hits and striking out five.
Middlebury’s playoff destiny depended on the outcome of the Williams-Hamilton series. Luckily for the Panthers, Williams swept the series, so the Panthers head into the playoff season with the second seed in the NESCAC West. They will face Tufts, the top seed in the NESCAC East.
While the Jumbos might seem like an intimidating opponent, Christina Bicks ’15 remains confident in her team’s ability to pull the upset.
“We are excited to face Tufts in the first round of NESCACs on Friday,” Bicks said. “They have been a challenge for us in the past, but the competition only encourages us to work that much harder this week in preparation. Throughout this season our team has come together to win big games, and we see this weekend as a great opportunity to do just that.”
Williams and Bowdoin will face each other in the other first round matchup of the double-elimination playoff tournament.
(04/22/15 1:48pm)
The Middlebury softball team had an eventful and successful week, beginning with a sweep of Castleton State on Wednesday, April 15.
In the opening game, the Panthers, led by pitcher Allison Quigley ’18 dominated the Spartans, jumping to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. They followed that up in the third inning when Hye-Jin Kim ’17 drove in Carlyn Vachow ’16 and Quigley, followed by two unearned runs for a comfortable 7-0 lead.
The Spartans came back with a vengeance in the second game, scoring the first run in the first inning and expanding that to 3-0 by the third. Emma Hamilton ’17 started the Panther’s comeback in the fourth with a homerun. Erin Giles ’17 then doubled in the fifth to plate two runners and tie the game. Middlebury scored twice in extra innings to secure the sweep.
Later in the week the Panthers faced off against NESCAC foe Amherst in a three-game series. The Lord Jeffs took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second, but the Panthers shrunk that lead to one in the third inning when Vachow plated Kat Maehr ’16. Amherst fought back with another run in the fifth, followed by Middlebury’s scoring again in the sixth. The Panthers had the tying run on base in the sixth and seventh innings but could not capitalize and conceded the first game to the Lord Jeffs.
In the second game, Middlebury scored three runs in the opening inning of the second game off of a double by Sarah Freyre ’17. By the third inning the Panthers had expanded this lead to 5-0. Amherst cut the lead to 5-2 in the sixth, and attempted to rally again in the seventh, but pitcher Neve Stearns ’16 managed to hold them off to earn the complete-game win.
Later in the day the Panthers continued their offensive streak, scoring seven runs in the first three innings. Amherst tried to break their stride by scoring two runs in the third and hitting a home run in the sixth, but Middlebury followed with four more runs in the sixth inning to comfortably take the final game in the series 11-3.
On Sunday, the Panthers finally finished a series against Williams that they had started weeks before, but the Ephs proved to be too much for the Panthers and finished with a clean sweep.
Williams jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, while a Middlebury hit did not come until the fourth inning. The Panthers were unable to capitalize, as the next hit set up a double play. The Ephs scored another pair of runs in the sixth.
Later that inning Christina Bicks ’15 started a rally for the Panthers, followed by Maehr hitting another double and scoring both Bicks and Siobhan O’Sullivan ’17, who had been hit by a pitch. Williams’s pitcher Brooke Bovier stopped the rally and kept Maehr, the tying run, on base to take secure the win.
Captain Kelsey Martel ’15 praised her team’s strong play throughout this busy season.
“The way our team played this weekend — and this entire season in general — is a true testament to the hard work all of the girls put in before the season and continue to do now,” Martel said. “Battling back against Amherst and taking two games on our Senior and Alumni day was very exciting to say the least, and our close fight with Williams on Sunday shows us just how far we’ve come during this season. Looking ahead, we’ve got a few more clutch games on the regular season schedule, and we’re looking to ride this momentum through those games to the NESCAC tournament.”
This week brings the finale of the Panther’s regular season. The Panthers finish up their regular season with a double header against Plymouth State on Thursday, April 23, followed by another double-header at Keene State. The final NESCAC game will be Sunday, April 26 at Wesleyan and will determine Middlebury’s seed for playoffs.
(04/15/15 4:00pm)
The Middlebury Panthers displayed incredible toughness this weekend by outlasting Hamilton to win the series 2-1. The weather played a factor – a common theme for the softball team this season – as the first game had to be moved to Saturday at Hamilton to accommodate Friday’s storm. In the first game, Carlyn Vachow ’16 scored the first run after stealing second and being sent in by hits from Hye-Jin Kim ’17 and Erin Giles ’17. Hamilton charged back to tie the game in the third inning, but the Panthers regained the lead in the fourth off of a double by Kat Maehr ’16, followed by a two-run homerun from Sarah Freyre ’17. The Panthers widened that lead when Hamilton committed three errors in the fifth. Maehr and Freyre drove in another run each, followed by a double off the bat of Vachow with the bases loaded to drive in three runs. The Continentals could not shorten the lead and the game ended after the fifth inning with a final score of 9-1. Allison Quigley ’18 recorded another win, improving her record to 8-2.
Unfortunately, the Panthers were not able to ride the momentum of their first victory and fell in the second game, 6-3. They got off to an early lead when Siobhan O’Sullivan ’17 started with a double and was brought in by Maehr. In the fourth inning, the Panthers widened that lead when Vachow singled, stole second base and scored on a double by Kim. The Continentals hit their stride in the fifth inning, scoring their runs with the assistance of three errors. Daphne Assimakopoulos of Hamilton started the scoring streak with a home run, followed by a few walks that set up a run-scoring double. Quigley came in to relieve Middlebury pitcher Neve Stearns ’16, but walked three batters and hit one. At the end of the inning the damage totaled all six runs that the Continentals would score that day. The Panthers tried to cut into that lead when Kelsey Martel ’15 doubled and her pinch runner Ali Delle Volpe ’18 later scored, but that was not enough to overcome the deficit. Stearns recorded the loss and fell to a 4-2 record after the game.
The final game of the series turned into a pitcher’s duel, lasting 10 innings Hamilton. Quigley threw 10 scoreless innings to come out on top, striking out 12 batters on the way. Jackie Stearn ’16 scored the game’s only run in the top of the 10th inning. She moved from second to third on a bunt by O’Sullivan then scored on a single by Maehr. Hamilton fought valiantly, but left two runners on base during each of the extra innings.
Captain Christina Bicks ’15 spoke proudly of her team after the series.
“We had two great team wins this weekend against Hamilton,” Bicks said. “Everyone contributed throughout the weekend and it paid off in a dramatic 10th inning win on Sunday. These were important games as we prepare for Amherst whom we will host for our senior weekend this coming Friday and Saturday.”
The Panthers continue their packed schedule, as they look to make up some of their rescheduled games this week. They have a three-game home series against Amherst this Friday and Saturday, April 17 and 18. Middlebury closes out the weekend with a rescheduled home game against Williams on Sunday, April 19.
(04/08/15 10:52pm)
The softball team has opened its season with a strong 9-5 start. The spring break trip to Florida was a success, where the Panthers went 7-3 before finally returning to Middlebury. They did not get much time to rest before sweeping a two game NESCAC series against Wesleyan, the third game of the series being postponed due to weather. The Panthers defeated Wesleyan 4-3 in a closely contested first game. They trailed until the fifth inning, when a pair of doubles from Kat Maehr ’16 and Kelsey Martel ’15 tied the game at 1-1. In the seventh inning, Middlebury scored three runs to take the lead, which Wesleyan could not counter.
Again, the Cardinals got on the board first in the second game, but that run ended up being their only one. Middlebury plated four runners in the fifth, followed by two more in the sixth to comfortably take the game 6-1. Allison Quigley ’18 earned NESCAC and ECAC Division III New England Region Pitcher of the Week honors for her impressive rookie start. She posted a 4-1 record with four games started and six appearances, posting an ERA of just 1.77 over 27.2 innings. She earned both of the wins against Wesleyan.
After a few games had been postponed due to weather, the team finally opened its home season on Friday, April 3, in a double header against Williams. The team got an early lead in the first inning when Maehr brought Hye-Jin Kim ’17 in to score the first run. In the third they added two runs off of doubles from Maehr, Carlyn Vachow ’16 and Sarah Freyre ’17. The Ephs responded fiercely with two runs in the fourth inning and three runs in the sixth to take the lead. Middlebury scored one more run in the bottom of the sixth when Emma Hamilton ’17 capitalized on a fielding error, but that was not enough to come back and win the game as Williams held on for a 6-4 victory.
The second game started as a defensive battle, as the score remained tied at 0-0 up until the sixth inning when Williams drove in four runs. The Panthers tried to answer but were unable to complete the comeback, leaving two runners on base in the bottom of the inning. The Ephs followed up with three more unearned runs to end the game with a three-hit shutout win. Defensive errors contributed dramatically to this score, as five of Williams’ seven runs were unearned.
Despite this loss, Martel remains optimistic.
“Overall, we’re really pleased with the way our season is going,” Martel said. “We’re lucky in the sense that we’ve got a lot of depth. A lot of girls that can contribute in a lot of different ways [are] on our roster this year. Our matchup against Williams definitely tested us, but I’m confident that our group will be able to bounce back to continue what success we’ve already had. A bump in the road only makes for a better driver, after all.”
Unfortunately, the final game of the Williams series had to be postponed due to weather. The makeup date is set for Sunday, April 12. The Panthers have a busy weekend ahead. Before they can finish the interrupted series with Williams, Middlebury will travel to Clinton, NY to play Hamilton in a three game set.