Playing for the first time at home in 2015, the Middlebury baseball team earned a split during a NESCAC West doubleheader Saturday with visiting Hamilton at Forbes Field. The Panthers (1-13, 1-7) scored five times in the second inning and six times in the third en route to an 11-5 victory in the opener, while the Continentals (8-6, 1-1) held off a late Middlebury charge in the nightcap for a 10-8 win. The two teams take to the field Sunday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. in the rubber match of the series.

In game one, Middlebury's Eric Truss (1-2) picked up his first win of the season with a complete-game performance, allowing five runs over seven innings of work with four strikeouts and just one walk.

Jason Lock led off the second with a single to right center and moved up when Raj Palekar singled to center. Andrew Corcoran bunted the runners to second and third before Ryan Rizzo was hit by a pitch to load the bases. John Luke drove in a pair with a single that deflected off the pitcher's leg and caromed into left center field to put the Panthers on top, 2-0. A run scored on a wild pitch before Brendan Donohue later doubled to right center, plating Luke and Johnny Read, who had singled.

Leading 5-0, Middlebury came back strong in the third with six more runs. Luke drove in a run with an RBI groundout, as did Read and Donohue, who both singled. Max Araya delivered the big blow in the inning, doubling to right center to score a pair.

The Panthers held until the top of the seventh when Hamilton scored five runs to break up the shutout. Joe Jensen and Brett Mele drove in the first two runs with RBI singles before Andrew Haser doubled to center to plate a third run. Ryan Wolfsberg followed and singled to right as Haser and Mele crossed the plate to make it an 11-5 game. Truss induced Chris Collins to ground out to second to end the game, as Donohue made a diving stop to his left, got to his feet and fired a perfect throw to first for the game's final out.

Donohue finished the game 2-4 with a double, three RBI and a run scored, while Araya was 2-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. Palekar was 2-3 with two runs scored, while Read went 2-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Luke drove in three runs on the day with a 1-3 effort, adding a run scored.

Mele and Haser went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored to lead Hamilton. Zach Becker doubled in the contest.

In the nightcap, Hamilton took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Jensen singled and later scored on an RBI groundout by Collins. Middlebury tied the game in the second with an unearned run.

The Continentals exploded for six runs on four hits in the third to take a 7-1 lead. Haser drove in Collins with a single to left, while Dean Rosenberg singled to right to drive in a run. An RBI groundout by Collins came before Tyler Reinhold recorded a single on a ball hit perfectly between three players down the first-base line to plate another run. Zach Becker closed the scoring as he doubled to left center to drive in a pair.

Hamilton added a run in the sixth as Jensen singled to right center and later scored on a ground out by Collins. Two more runs came in the eight to put the visitors on top, 10-1. Jensen singled to right center and later scored on a throwing error. Haser followed with a double down the left field line to drive in Collins, who reached on an infield single.

In the bottom of the eighth, Middlebury began its comeback bid as the Panthers scored three times. Joe MacDonald roped a 1-2 pitch down the left field line for a double, plating Palekar, Garrett Werner and Rizzo who each drew a walk.

After Middlebury lefthander Dylan Takamori sent the Continentals down in order in the top of the ninth, the Panthers continued the comeback in their last at-bat. Read singled to right and moved to second when Donohue drew a four-pitch walk. Araya walked to load the bases and Lock brought home Read on a groundout to second. Donohue came around to score on a single by Palekar.

After a strikeout, Rizzo walked on four pitches to load the bases once again. Inserted as a pinch hitter, Dylan Sinnickson took the first pitch he saw from Hamilton hurler Spencer Vogelbach and lined it into left center for a two-run hit scoring Palekar and Araya. With two outs and the bases loaded for the third time in the frame after Luke, who was inserted as a pinch hitter, drew a walk, Vogelbach got Read to ground into a fielder's choice to second to end the game.

Rizzo went 2-3 with a pair of walks and a run scored, while MacDonald also had a two-hit game with three RBI. Cooper Byrne (0-4) went the first three innings for the Panthers, giving up seven runs on five hits. Robert Erickson logged five innings of work allowing three runs on seven hits and striking out five, while Takamori worked a perfect ninth with a pair of strikeouts.

Jensen and Reinhold both finished 3-5 at the plate for Hamilton, as Jensen scored three times and had a pair of stolen bases, while Collins, Haser and Becker each finished with a pair of RBI. Cole Dreyfuss improved to 4-0 going seven strong innings for Hamilton, giving up just one unearned run and four hits while striking out nine and walking three. Andrew Jaffoni worked the eighth and faced two batters in the ninth before Vogelbach recorded the three outs in the ninth.