Middlebury broke open a tied game with a six-run seventh inning in the second game of a NESCAC West doubleheader to earn a split at Hamilton on Saturday. The Continentals won the opening game 4-3, but the Panthers bounced back with a 12-6 triumph in the nightcap and finished the three-game series with two victories. Middlebury (8-12, 5-4) returns to the diamond on Wednesday with a 4:00 p.m. game at Plattsburgh State.

In the opening game, the Panthers grabbed a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning when Joe MacDonald singled home Max Araya for the game's initial run, while Sam Graf made it 2-0 with a base hit to plate John Luke.

Two innings later, Graf blasted a solo home run to right field for a 3-0 advantage.

Hamilton (12-9, 2-4) received solo homers in the bottom of the sixth from Ryan Wolfsberg and Andrew Haser and won the game in walk-off fashion an inning later. Cooper Halpern came through with two-run pinch-hit single to lift the Continentals to a 4-3 win in the opener.

Graf had a big game at the plate going 3-3 with two RBI and a run scored, while Jake Turtel, Araya, Luke and MacDonald also had hits for the Panthers.

John Bunting (1-4) tossed a complete game for Middlebury, but took the loss allowing four runs on seven hits in six-plus innings.

The hosts jumped in front in the second game by plating a run in the bottom of the first when Kenny Collins scored on a ground out.

The Panthers tied the score in the second on an infield error that allowed MacDonald to touch home plate all the way from second.

After the Continentals went ahead 2-1 with a run in their half of the second, Araya drove in Read with a deep sacrifice fly to center field to tie the game. Middlebury went ahead 3-2 one batter later on a double off the right-field fence by Luke that drove in Turtel.

Hamilton evened the game at 3-3 in the fifth on a ground out by Collins that drove in Wolfsburg.

In the big seventh inning, Araya broke open a 3-3 game with a one out solo home run to right center and Graf followed with a two-run triple extending the Panther lead to 6-3. Drew Coash plated Graf with a single and Read capped the big inning with a two-run double bringing in Raj Palekar and Coash.

After the Panthers got out of a jam in the bottom of the seventh with an inning-ending double play as the Continentals managed a run, Middlebury tacked on three insurance runs in the eighth. Araya scored on a sacrifice bunt by MacDonald and Brendan Donohue singled to center, driving in both Luke and Graf to make it a 12-4 game.

Hamilton scored twice in the bottom of the eighth to pull within six (12-6), but Jake Stalcup kept the Continentals off the scoreboard in the ninth to pick secure the win.

Araya had a perfect 4-4 performance at the plate with two RBI and two runs scored, while his first hit of the game was the 100th in a Panther uniform. Read went 3-5 with two doubles and two RBI, while Luke was 3-6 with a RBI and two runs scored.

MacDonald started on the mound for Middlebury going five innings, allowing three runs on nine hits. Colin Waters (2-0) earned the win, working a scoreless sixth inning and allowed a lead-off walk in the seventh that scored. Stalcup allowed two runs over the final 2.2 innings for his first save of the spring.  

Wolfsberg went 3-3 for Hamilton with two RBI and two runs, while Brian Farrell had a pair of hits.