The Middlebury softball team split a pair of games at Williams on Saturday afternoon, dropping game one 5-4 before thumping the Ephs 12-2 in a five-inning second game. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Williams takes the series 2-1 and has earned the right to host next weekend's NESCAC Tournament. Middlebury has secured the second seed in the west and will also taking part in the double-elimination tourney beginning on Friday.

Saturday's first game was completed after the game was started and suspended on Friday. Middlebury took a 2-0 lead in the second inning with a two-run homer to center by Carlyn Vachow after Hye-Jin Kim had walked.

The Ephs took the lead in the bottom of the third with three runs. A two-run double to center by Alison Micha and an RBI ground out by Kacey Cramer plated the pair.

Williams added to its lead with two runs in the fourth inning. A sacrifice fly from Theresa Lega scored Lindsey Prec, who walked with one out. Micha singled through the right side to plate Melissa Cend, who singled to center earlier in the inning.

Middlebury rallied in the seventh with two runs, but came up one run short. Kat Maehr led off with a pinch-hit walk and then was pinch-run for by Siobhan O'Sullivan. Christina Bicks followed with a two-run blast to make it a 5-4 game. Kimber Sable was hit by a pitch and was bunted to second by Jackie Stern, but was stranded as the Panthers came up short.

Neve Stearns (4-4) suffered the loss, allowing five runs and striking out three over 3.2 innings of work. Elizabeth Morris tossed 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. Middlebury earned just two hits on the day, both of them clearing the fence.

Brooke Bovie improved to 9-2 with the win, allowing four runs on two hits with four strikeouts over seven innings. Micha finished 2-3 with a double, a run scored and three RBI.

Middlebury exploded for six runs in the third inning of game two, earning a 12-2 win in five innings, snapping Williams' nine-game winning streak. Sable doubled to left in the first and scored when Emily Kraytenberg did the same. Kim singled up the middle to score Kraytenberg, making it a 2-0 game.

In the six-run third, the big blast came on a grand slam homer to center from Sable, putting her team up 8-0.

The Panthers added four runs in the fifth to go up by a dozen. Erin Giles drove in a run with an RBI ground out, while Kim had an RBI single to center.  Later in the inning, Vachow singled to left center to drive in a pair.

Williams rallied for two in the fifth, but it wasn't enough to keep the game going as the Panthers led by more than eight runs, ending the game after five.

Sable went 3-4 in the game, with two doubles a grand slam and three runs scored. Vachow finished 3-3 with three RBI, while Kim was 2-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Morris (7-3) earned the win, striking out six over five innings of work.

Emma Harring (11-4) suffered the loss for Williams in two innings of work, allowing two runs in the first inning. Lindsey Prec was 2-2 in the game.