Middlebury swept both ends of a doubleheader against host Castleton State, capping the second victory with two runs in the top of the eighth for a 5-4 extra-inning win. With a 7-0 shutout triumph in the opener, the Panthers improve to 15-6 overall and will host Amherst on Friday for game one of a pivotal three-game NESCAC West series.

Allison Quigley (10-2) was dominant for Middlebury in the opener, tossing 6.0 innings, while allowing four hits and striking out six to earn the victory. Carlyn Vachow went 3-4 as the Panthers totaled nine base hits. Cassidy Tedeschi took the loss, going 3.0 innings with five earned runs allowed.

The Panthers jumped on Castleton State in the top of the first, scoring three times. Siobhan O'Sullivan led off with a single and Kat Maehr followed with a two-run homer over the left field wall. Sarah Freyre followed that with a double and scored on a single by Vachow.

Two innings later, the Panthers added to their lead with four more runs. Vachow led off with a single and Quigley was hit by a pitch with one out. Hye-Jin Kim drove in both runners with a triple to right center and Middlebury added two more unearned runs for the 7-0 advantage.

Katie Gagne came on in relief for Tedeschi and surrendered just one hit without giving up a run while striking out a batter. Castleton State couldn't capitalize as the Spartans left a pair of runners stranded in the fifth and again in the sixth.

Neve Stearns sent the Spartans down in order in the seventh to give Middlebury the 7-0 win.

In the second game, Castleton State came out swinging with a run in the bottom of the first inning. Babcock singled through the left side with one down and advanced on a single by Brittany Brayman, who was later thrown out trying to score on a wild pitch to end the inning.

Two innings later, Kristi Lawless reached on an error and Babcock blasted a home run over the centerfield fence for the 3-0 lead.

The Panthers got a run back in the top of the fourth when Emma Hamilton sent a ball over the fence in left to cut the Spartan lead to 3-1. An inning later, Middlebury scored two and tied the game at 3-3 on a double down the line by Erin Giles.

Castleton State threatened in the bottom of the sixth when Chelsea Grady ripped a leadoff double. Kayla Wood came in to run and advanced to third on a bunt, before consecutive outs ended the threat.

Neither team could get anything going in the seventh, but the Panthers came back with a pair of tallies in the eighth. A flyout advanced Giles to third and Kim ripped a line drive that went off the leg of Katie Gagne at first and into right field, scoring Giles for the 4-3 advantage. Middlebury added an RBI single up the middle by Kati Daczkowski to plate Kim and make the score 5-3.

In the bottom of the frame, Babcock singled Daigle over to third and Brayman followed with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 5-4. Babcock moved to second on the play, but she was stranded as Stearns worked out of trouble to win the contest.

Stearns (5-2) logged 6.0 innings in the circle with six strikeouts while allowing just four hits. Wood took the loss as she logged the final 4.0 innings, giving up five hits and one earned run while striking out two. Taylor Paquette started for Castleton State and went the opening 4.0 innings, surrendering six hits while allowing one run and striking out three.

Babcock went 3-4 in the second game, while Grady also added three hits and finished the day with a team-high four hits. Maehr led Middlebury with three hits and raised her batting average to .441, while Kim and Taylor Gardner both had multi-hit games.