Playing a three-game NESCAC West series in one day, the Middlebury softball team dropped two of the three contests played at Hamilton on Saturday. The Panthers (4-7, 4-7) won the opener 8-5, but dropped the next two games to the Continentals (6-5, 6-5) by the scores of 5-3 and 6-5. Middlebury returns home on May 1, hosting Amherst for a doubleheader at 2:00 p.m.
 
The visitors tallied a pair of runs in initial inning of game one, as Sophie Bolinger had a lead-off single and scored on a double by Nicole Ruschil. One batter later, Ruschil scored on an infield miscue for a 2-0 lead.
 
After the Continentals plated a run in the second, Middlebury extended the advantage to 7-1 with a five-run inning in the fourth frame. Emily Moore drove in Sophia Marlino with a base hit up the middle, while Jewel Ashbrook bounced a double off the wall in right-center field to push two runs across. Kaylee Gumm touched the plate on an outfield error, before Ashbrook scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Jen McGann for a six-run cushion.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Hamilton crept to within 7-4 with three runs. The teams traded scores an inning later for the 8-5 final.
 
Ashbrook (3-3) earned the win in the circle, giving up five runs (four earned) on eight hits with four strikeouts. She also led the charge at the plate, going 2-3 with two RBI and a run scored, while Bolinger added a pair of hits and scored once.
 
Natalie Beebe (2-1) took the loss, giving up eight runs (five earned) on eight hits with a game-high 12 strikeouts. At the plate, she went 2-4 with a run and a stolen base.
 
In the second game, the Panthers took the early lead with a run in the top half of the first inning. Moore walked, stole second and raced home on a double just inside the bag at third by Ruschil. The advantage grew by two runs in the second, as Melanie Mandell scored on an error and Gumm plated Marina Lyon with a double for a 3-0 cushion.
 
The hosts got on the scoreboard with single runs in the second and third innings, closing the margin to 3-2. The Continentals took their first lead of the contest in the fifth, scoring three times for a 5-3 final.
 
Gumm and Ruschil each had a double and a RBI in the contest, while Chloe McNamara (1-3) tossed a complete game and took the loss.
 
Claire O'Brien (1-3) earned the win for Hamilton, scattering six hits over seven innings with six strikeouts. Anna Rasmussen went a perfect 3-3 at the plate, with a RBI and two runs scored.
 
In the third game of the day, Hamilton scored first as the visiting team in the opening inning. Samantha Smith drove in a run with a single, but Bolinger drew the Panthers even, leading off with a hit and scoring from second on a single to right by Ruschil.
 
Hamilton jumped back on top in in the second frame, pushing three runs across for a 4-1 edge.
 
Middlebury trailed 5-1 in the last of the fifth and quickly cut the difference to a run at 5-4. Moore and Ruschil had back-to-back doubles, before Marlino drilled a two-run homer to center field.
 
Marlino brought home another run for the Panthers in the sixth with a base hit up the middle, making it a one-run contest (6-5). Middlebury got the first two runners on base in the seventh, but Beebe retired three-straight batters for the Continentals to close out the busy day for both teams.
 
Ashbrook (3-4) gave up five runs in 2.1 innings to take the loss, while Marlino went 2-3 with a homer and three RBI at the plate for the Panthers. Ruschil had another steady game with two hits and two runs batted in.
 
For Hamilton, Kiana Arcayena was 2-2 with a run scored and three RBI, while Kaitlyn Fudge (3-1) gave up five runs in 4.2 innings and Beebe notched the save.