The Middlebury baseball team collected a 10-8 triumph at Hamilton on Wednesday, securing a home date for the upcoming NESCAC Quarterfinal best-of-three series. The Panthers (20-8, 7-2) have the opportunity to earn the top seed in the conference's West Division this weekend with a series at Wesleyan, starting with a single game on Friday at 4:00 p.m.

The victory marked the third time in the last four full seasons the team has reached the 20-win plateau.

The teams split a doubleheader earlier in the month with Wednesday's triumph giving Middlebury the series win.

Hamilton (15-14, 6-5) took the early lead in the home half of the first, scoring a run on three hits. Ethan Harrast trotted across the plate from third on a single through the left side by Shane Dux for a 1-0 edge.

The Panthers quickly got the run back in the second, as John Collins singled and scored from first on a long double to left-center field by Jack Stolper to tie the contest at 1-1.

The visitors continued to put pressure on the Continentals in the third, loading the bases with nobody out. Alec Ritch took advantage for Middlebury, hitting a double to left to bring home a pair of runners for a 3-1 advantage. An infield error allowed Sammy Smith to score from third, pushing the difference to three. The visitors ended the inning with a 5-1 cushion, following a sacrifice fly to center field by Stolper to bring in Ritch.

Hamilton cut into the deficit in the last half of the fourth, as Jack Griffin doubled and touched home plate on a triple by Harrast. The hosts tallied another run two batters later when Greg Kopp dropped a base hit into right to trim the margin to 5-3. Panther reliever Cole Crider did a good job to limit the damage, getting out of a bases-loaded jam with two outs.

Ritch got one of the runs back in the fifth, hammering a solo homer into the wind in left to make the score 6-3 in favor of Middlebury.

After Hamilton made it 6-4 with a tally in the sixth, the Panthers extended the advantage to 9-4 in the eighth, scoring twice on a Continental throwing error before Zip Malley produced an RBI ground out.

Hamilton made it a one-run contest in the home half of the stanza when Jackson Sattinger hit a grand slam, quickly cutting the difference to one (9-8).

Mitchell Schroeder provided Middlebury with an insurance run in the ninth, roping a double down the line in left to bring in Ritch from second for a two-run advantage.

Panther pitcher George Goldstein, who recorded the final out in the eighth, tossed a scoreless ninth for his fourth save of the season and second in as many days, securing the 10-8 victory.

Ritch had a solid afternoon at the plate, going 2-3 with a home run, three RBI, two stolen bases and scored three times. Stolper reached base three times with a double, two walks and drove in a pair. Cole Crider (2-0) earned the win with 1.1 innings of scoreless relief.

Harrast paced Hamilton at the plate, going 2-4 with a pair of walks, three runs scored and an RBI. Jack Eshleman (2-3) took the loss, lasting on 2.1 innings and yielding five runs in that time.