Box Score The Middlebury baseball team fell to Gustavus Adolphus, as the Golden Gusties scored twice in the sixth inning turning a 3-3 game into a 5-3 win Wednesday over the Panthers in Tucson, Arizona. Middlebury (2-7) has a day off from play before opening a three-game NESCAC West series on Friday and Saturday with Williams in Arizona.
Middlebury took the early lead with a run in the top of the first, as Sam Graf singled to third base, scampered over to third on a base hit by Spencer Tonies. Graf scored the first run for Middlebury on a ground ball double play.
The score remained a one-run edge in favor of the Panthers until the bottom of the second, when Gustavus Adolphus struck for three runs. A two-run single by Josh Chatfield brought home Thomas Logan and John Lundquist, who walked and singled earlier in the inning. Matt Berkner came around to touch the plate after he walked for the third run on a Panther miscue, giving the Golden Gusties a 3-1 lead after two frames.
The Panthers clawed back into the game with single tallies in the third and fifth innings. Johnny Read reached with one out in the third on an error, advanced to third on a single by Graf and scored on a single to left from Tonies.
In the fifth, Read led off the inning with a single to center and moved to second on a wild pitch. Read touched the plate, knotting the game at 3-3 on Tonies' second RBI of the game on a hard groundball single to right.
In the sixth, Gustavus Adolphus scored the decisive pair of runs with the first on a ground out by Berkner plating Brock Peterson, who walked to start the frame. Chatfield added an insurance run, bringing home Logan who also drew a base on balls.
The Panthers were unable to get any rallies going during the final three innings.
Tonies went 3-4 at the plate for the Panthers with a pair of RBI. Graf was 2-4 with a run scored, while Read had a hit in three at-bats with two runs scored. Ryan Rizzo produced the other hit for Middlebury in four plate appearances.
Robert Erickson suffered the loss for the Panthers, allowing two runs on a hit in two innings of relief. Tucker Meredith went the first four, giving up three runs, two earned, on four hits, while Colin Waters and Joe MacDonald each tossed an inning out of the bullpen.
Chatfield led the Golden Gusties with a 2-4 effort and three RBI, while Logan was officially 0-1 with two runs scored and three walks. Jacob Volness earned the win tossing the first eight innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on seven hits with six strikeouts. Jacob Braun tallied the save with a perfect ninth inning.
