The top four hitters in the Middlebury College lineup collected 17 hits as the visiting Panthers swept a New England Small College Athletic Conference West Division softball doubleheader against Hamilton College at Ferguson Fields on April 11.
Ali McAnaney pitched a complete-game shutout as Middlebury (12-9 overall, 4-5 NESCAC West) won the opener 6-0. McAnaney allowed just three hits, walked one and struck out six as her record improved to 6-4. The Panthers grabbed a 4-0 lead in game two with a four-run fourth inning and went on to win the nightcap, 7-2.
Cleanup hitter Emily Burbridge led the Middlebury offense as she went 5-for-8 with two doubles and five RBI in the two games. Burbridge leads the team with six doubles. Leslie Crawford also went 5-for-8 and scored five runs out of the second spot in the lineup. No. 3 hitter Megan Margel added four hits and leadoff batter Amelia Magistrali chipped in three.
Liz Reid was 2-for-4 with her third double in the doubleheader for Hamilton (4-15, 1-4). Kathryn Kroleski and Leigh Sherrow also doubled.
In Game 1, the Panthers scored one run in the fourth inning, three in the fifth and two in the sixth. Burbridge and McAnaney smacked RBI doubles in the fifth. Middlebury finished the game with 14 hits.
McAnaney extended her shutout streak to 10 innings in the second game. She started and pitched three innings, allowed two hits and walked two. Ashley Higgins recorded her second win with an effective four innings of relief. Higgins allowed two runs -- none earned -- on four hits, walked one and fanned two.
The Panthers seized control of game two with the four-run fourth inning. A two-run single by Sophie Dorot with two outs was the big hit in the inning. Middlebury pushed its advantage to 6-0 with two runs in the fifth and was never threatened. Ashley Higgins earned the win after McAnaney threw the first three innings.
Mandy Hyne started the first game in the circle for Hamilton. Hyne pitched five innings, allowed three earned runs on nine hits, walked one and struck out one. Megan Coughlin took the loss in Game two. Coughlin allowed four runs and six hits in four innings, and struck out three.
