The Middlebury baseball team held off several comeback bids by Williams, edging the Ephs 9-7 in the opening game of a NESCAC West series on Friday. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Andrew Gough got things going for the visitors, smacking a home run over the left-field fence to make it 1-0 in the top of the first.
• Williams responded in its half of the inning when Jakob Cohn doubled to center to drive in Mike Giove. Cohn later crossed home plate when Daniel Lynch reached on an error, giving the Ephs a 2-1 edge.
• In the top of the third, Nathan Samii singled to right field to bring in Gough, making it 2-2.
• The Panthers doubled their score (4-2) in their next at-bat. A triple down the left-field line by Kyle McCausland drove Sammy Smith home, before McCausland scored on a single up the middle by Mitchell Schroeder.
• The Ephs got one run back in their half of the inning when Dave Mosrie crossed home plate on a single by Cohn, but that was as close as the hosts would get the rest of the game. 
• In the top of the fifth, McCausland doubled and Schroeder singled, each batting in one run. Samii later belted a two-run homer, increasing the Middlebury advantage to 8-4. 
• Williams started a comeback bid in the bottom of the eighth. Giove drove in a run and scored later to cut the deficit to a pair (8-6).
• Lucas Flemming scored on a balk in the top of the ninth to make it 9-6.
• The Ephs cut into the lead again in the ninth when Lynch touched home on a base hit by Luca Lopetrone, but reliever Owen Tross struck out the final batter to secure the 9-7 triumph. 

NOTES

• John Collins increased his hitting streak to six tonight, while Smith has reached safely with a hit in five-straight games.
• Middlebury and Williams met for the 128th time today, with the Panthers claiming their fourth-consecutive win over the Ephs.

 
The teams battle in doubleheader action on Saturday, with the first pitch at noon.