Middlebury (9-5, 2-2) opened its home season on Friday with a pair of NESCAC West games against Williams (14-3, 2-0). The Ephs battled back to take game one 6-4, while scoring late for a 7-0 win in second game of the day. The teams hope to play game three of the series on Saturday, with weather likely playing a factor.

Middlebury took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the day, when Kat Maehr singled to left center, plating Hye-Jin Kim, who earlier doubled down the left field line.

The Panthers added two runs in the third with back-to-back doubles from Maehr and Carlyn Vachow. Sarah Freyre later hit the team's third double of the inning, scoring Vachow for the 3-0 advantage.

A two-run single by Williams' Tayler Donze in the fourth made it a 3-2 game. The Ephs tied the game in the fifth when Mo Frank singled to center and later scored on a ground-rule double to center by Margo Beck. Williams left the bases loaded in the inning, as Neve Stearns came on in relief of Allison Quigley and induced a fly out to right field.

The Ephs kept coming, scoring three runs on three hits in the sixth to take a 6-4 lead. A single up the middle by Alison Michalik, a triple down the left field line by Frank and a single to center from Kacey Cramer drove in the three runs.

Middlebury answered with an unearned run in the bottom of the inning, but that's as close as they'd come as Williams took game one, 6-4.

Emma Harrington moved to 7-1 on the year with the win, allowing three earned runs and striking out three in the complete game. Stearns (3-1) suffered her first loss of the season in relief.

Michalik and Frank each went 2-4 in the game, while Pricilla Pino was 2-3 to lead the Ephs. Maehr paced the Panthers with a 3-4 effort at the plate.

The second game was scoreless through five innings with Williams leaving eight runners on base and Middlebury stranding four. Williams solved Quigley in the sixth, striking for four runs, two earned, on three hits.

Donze drove in a run with a single down the left field line, while Michalik plated Donze with a triple to left. Cramer drove in the last run of the inning with a single up the middle. Stearns came on in relief to retire the last batter of the inning on one pitch.

The Panthers put two runners on base in the bottom of the inning, but were unable to answer. Quigley returned to pitch in the seventh, as the Ephs scored three unearned runs to gain a comfortable lead.

Brooke Bovier (6-2) retired the side in the seventh to earn the three-hit shutout victory. Cramer went 3-4 to pace Williams, while the Ephs got a 2-4 game from Michalik.

Quigley moved to 6-2 on the year with the loss, allowing just two earned runs, while striking out seven over 6.2 innings of work. Three players had hits for Middlebury, including a double from Maehr.