Middlebury shut down in-state foe Castleton 7-0 and 6-0, in sweeping the doubleheader. The Panthers allowed only five hits in the two shutout wins. The Panthers improve to 9-7 overall and hold a 12-2 all-time lead in the series against the Spartans. Middlebury returns to NESCAC West action on Friday and Saturday, hosting a three-game series against Wesleyan and travel to Amherst for a rescheduled double-header on Sunday.
In the first game, starting pitcher Brittany Burke helped her own cause with a one-out double in the bottom of the second. Carlie Crawford followed, driving in Burke with an RBI double. Later in the inning, Kelsey Chisholm laced a two-out, two-run double for a 3-0 lead. The Panthers extended their lead to 6-0 in the sixth when Megan Margel collected two RBI on a bases-loaded single. Later in the inning, Geena Constantin added an RBI single and Allison Bard chipped in with a RBI sacrifice fly for the 7-0 lead.
Burke was strong in the circle, allowing just one hit over four innings of work for the win, evening her record at 4-4. Ali McAnaney relieved Burke in the fifth, pitching three innings of no-hit ball for her first save of the season. Laura Rogers took the loss for the Spartans, giving up nine hits and allowing five earned runs.
Margel went 2-4 in the game, adding two RBI, while Constantin went 2-4 with one RBI. Chisholm and four others added hits for the Panthers.
Game two followed a similar script with Middlebury's offense striking early and a strong defense holding down the Spartans. The Panthers batted around in the first inning scoring four runs on four singles.
Middlebury added a pair of insurance runs later in the game when Emily Burbridge smacked a triple to left center in the third, scoring on a throwing error during the play. Constantin, the starting pitcher for the Panthers, made it 6-0 in the sixth inning with a RBI single to centerfield.
Constantin scattered four hits and struck out three for the complete game shut-out win, improving her record to 2-2 on the year. Starter Angie Carpenter took the loss for Castleton, giving up three earned runs and seven hits over four innings of work. Tosha Wittemore relieved Carpenter in the fifth, striking out two without allowing an earned run in her two innings of work.
Constantin excelled at the plate for the Panthers, going 3-4, including a triple, and collecting two RBI, while Burbridge went 2-3 with a triple. Rogers went 2-4, collected two of the four Spartan hits in game two.
