Fueled by a pair of defensive gems in centerfield by Jen McGann and a grand slam from Noelle Ruschil, the Middlebury (20-9) softball team earned a 7-2 victory over Colby (19-15) in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC Tournament on Saturday. The win puts the Panthers, the second seed out of the West Division, into the semifinals against Tufts, the top seed from the East Division and the tournament host, at 2:30 p.m. today.

Middlebury grabbed the early lead, scoring a pair of runs on the bottom half of the first. Megan Fox came through with a clutch two-out, two-run double down the line in right field to score Ruschil and Abby Santis for a 2-0 lead.

The Panthers added a run to their advantage in the home half of the second, as Ruschil plated Tori Papaleo on a fielder's choice to make it 3-0.

Colby had a chance to climb right back into the game in the third, but Middlebury did a good job of limiting the damage. McGann made a nice shoestring catch in center field on a sacrifice fly by Amanda Cabral with the bases loaded, while pitcher Jewel Ashbrook got out a bases-loaded jam with one out to keep the score at 3-1.

McGann flashed the leather again in the fourth, making a diving grab in right-center field to take an extra-base hit away from Hannah Masterson.

In the bottom of the frame, the Panthers broke the game open with one swing of the bat. Ruschil launched her second grand slam of the season to right center to quickly extend the difference to 7-1. With her conference-leading 15th homer of the season, Ruschil broke the single-season record for RBI with 48, topping the mark of 44 set by Jessica Poracky in 2012.

The Mules added an unearned run on the top of the seventh to make the final 7-2.

Ashbrook (12-3) earned the win for Middlebury with her 14th complete game of the season. She yielded the two runs on seven hits and fanned three, giving her an even 100 strikeouts for her career.

Jordyn Johnson paced the Panthers at the plate going 3-4 with a run scored, while Sophia Marlino and Fox each had a pair of hits. Ruschil went 1-3 with five RBI, marking the sixth-straight game she has driven in at least one run. With a single in the fourth inning, Santis extended her hitting streak to 20 games.