The 19th-ranked Middlebury men's squash team edged host Bates on Friday evening by a 5-4 score in the Bates Squash Center. The Panthers (3-2) return to action on Saturday when they stay in Maine for a 10:00 a.m. match at #23 Colby, followed by a 3:00 p.m. contest at Bowdoin.

In the win over the 18th-ranked Bobcats (4-1), the visitors grabbed the first three matches to finish, each coming in three games. Jack Kagan won at #3 over McLeod Abbott (11-5, 11-9, 11-5), Ryan Swope edged Dylan Muldoon in the ninth slot (11-3, 13-11, 11-9) and John Epley defeated Coley Cannon at #6 (11-7, 11-8, 13-11).

The hosts got on the board with a four-game triumph at #8. Wiatt Hinton made it a 4-1 Panther lead via a three-game win against Anirudh Nambiar at #5 (11-8, 11-5, 11-5), while Jacob Ellen clinched the match with an 11-4, 11-6, 12-14, 11-9 victory in the second slot over Graham Bonnell.

Bates closed the match with wins at #7, #1 and #4 respectively for the final 5-4 decision.