The Middlebury baseball team (18-8, 6-2) edged Amherst 5-4 in the opening game of doubleheader action on Saturday, setting a new program record with an 11-game winning streak. The Mammoths (10-16-1, 2-7) battled back, robbing the Panthers of a three-game sweep with a 7-2 victory in the nightcap. Middlebury returns to the diamond on Tuesday when it hosts Skidmore at 4:00 p.m.
Prior to the start of the first contest, the hosts recognized seniors
George Goldstein and
Sam Grace as part of the Senior Day celebration.
The Mammoths opened the scoring in the first inning of game one. With bases loaded and two outs, Daniel Qin smacked a single up the middle to drive in Luke Padian and Jack McDermott for the 2-0 early edge.
Amherst increased the advantage to 3-0 in the top of the second when McDermott hit a double to left center to bring in Jack Doyle.
The Panthers cut into the deficit in their half of the inning when
Kyle McCausland touched home on a
Jack Stolper sacrifice fly to center, making it 3-1.
The Mammoths threatened in the third. With a pair of outs on the board, Qin hit a single that dropped into empty space in right field, before advancing to third on a single down the left line by Jack Dove. Middlebury pitcher
Alec Ritch struck out the next batter, leaving a pair of Amherst runners stranded.
The Panthers picked up a run in their next at-bat. With two outs, Ritch walked and advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt error by the Amherst pitcher.
Andrew Ashley blasted a base-hit to right field, bringing home Ritch to put Middlebury within one (3-2).
In the fourth,
Charlie Kutz came in to relieve Ritch on the mound with one out and a Mammoth runner on third, striking out two-straight batters to deny the Amherst run.
Middlebury took a 4-3 lead in its half of the inning with a pair of outs on the board.
Chris Borter reached on fielder's choice and advanced to third on a single to right field by Stolper. Borter scampered home on a sacrifice bunt by
Lucas Flemming, before Stolper crossed home on a single to center by
Sawyer Duarte for the one-run edge.
In the top of the sixth, Kutz retired the side in order to keep Amherst at bay. The Panthers increased the lead to 5-3 in the sixth when Borter smacked his second homer of the season to left field.
The Mammoths threatened in the final inning. With a runner on first, Goldstein came in to close out the game on the mound. Jackson Reydel reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to second when Middlebury attempted a double play and overthrew first. Reydel touched home on a double to center by Padian to cut the Panther lead down to one (5-4). Pinch runner Nick Addison advanced to third on a passed ball, but Goldstein struck out the final batter to record his eighth career save and secure the 5-4 victory.
Kutz earned his second win of the season on the mound, allowing just one run while striking out six over 2.2 innings of work. Goldstein's eighth save tied him for first place in Middlebury's record book. Nick Giattoino suffered the loss for Amherst, scattering five runs on seven hits over six innings.
Borter paced the Panthers at the plate with two hits and a pair of runs, to go along with one RBI and a stolen base. McCausland had one hit and one run, while Duarte had a pair of hits and batted in one runner.
Padian and Boyle each had one run on one hit with a double, while Padian brought home one runner. Qin had a pair of hits with one RBI, while McDermott had two hits and one RBI.
In the second game of the day, the Mammoths tallied a pair of runs in each of the first two innings to take a 4-0 lead. Padian and Chris Murphy reached on back-to-back Panther miscues in the first at-bat, with Murphy scoring Ryan McIntyre, before Qin's sacrifice fly brought home Reydel. In Amherst's next inning, McIntyre singled to drive in Boyle and later touched home on a sacrifice fly by McDermott.
The Mammoths added a run in the top of the fourth when McDermott blasted a home run over the right field fence for the 5-0 advantage.
A double by Dove scored Murphy in the fifth, before a homer to right field by Christian Fagnant in the eighth gave Amherst a 7-0 lead.
Middlebury denied Amherst of a shutout during its half of the eighth, scoring twice. Stolper led off with a triple to center and touched home on a ground out by Borter. Ben Slaughther followed with his first career home run, making it a 7-2 final.
Alex Rosario allowed five runs on six hits over four innings to take the loss. Jacob Ribitzki went the distance for the Mammoths, allowing just two runs on four hits while striking out seven.
Stolper and Slaughter each had one run on one hit for Middlebury.
McIntyre had two runs on two hits with an RBI for Amherst, while McDermott had one run on one hit with a pair of RBI.
