The Middlebury baseball team took both ends of Saturday's doubleheader against Amherst at Forbes Field on Senior Day. The Panthers utilized a one-hit pitching gem from Justin Lessing in the seven-inning opener for a 2-1 victory and scored four times during their first three at-bats to earn an 8-4 triumph in the nine-inning nightcap. Before the day's first pitch, Middlebury honored seniors Charlie Kutz, Mitchell Schroeder, Lucas Cai, Sammy Smith, Andrew Gatland, Lucas Flemming, Beau Root and Andrew Ashley. Also being recognized were Sawyer Duarte, Chris Borter, Zip Malley, Baker Angstman, Gavin Gattuso and David Byrne. 
 
GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS

• The hosts jumped on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning. Borter was hit by a pitch with one out and jogged home when Kyle McCausland launched a home run over the left-center field fence for a 2-0 lead.
• The Mammoths manufactured a tally in the top of the third. Charlie LaFreniere reached on an infield single, stole second and moved to third on a groundout. Jack Boyle followed with a sacrifice fly down the right-field line to drive home LaFreniere and make it 2-1.
• Middlebury threatened in the fourth with one out on back-to-back singles from Ashley and Malley, but Amherst pitcher Nicholas Giattino wiggled out of the jam with a strikeout and a groundout.
• Lessing was perfect over the last few innings for the Panthers, setting Amherst down in order and retiring the last 15 batters that he faced. He sandwiched a pair of flyouts in the seventh around a swinging strikeout to preserve the 2-1 victory.

GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS

• Middlebury struck in its first at-bat, as Root ripped a triple to right center and later scored on a base hit off the bat of McCausland for the 1-0 advantage.
• The Panthers added a tally in the next frame. Smith started the inning with a double down the left-fleld line and moved to third on a hit from Byrne. Smith touched home on an RBI groundout from Root for a 2-0 lead.
• Middlebury loaded the bases in the third, increasing its edge to 4-0 on a two-run single up the middle by Smith to score Ashley and Angstman.
• Amherst started the sixth stanza with three-straight singles from Luke Padian, Jack Dove and LaFreniere to load the bases. Duarte limited the rally, allowing just one sacrifice fly to Ben Smith to score Padian to make it 4-1.
• The Mammoths once again packed the bases in the seventh, pulling to within two (4-2) when LaFreniere was hit by a pitch.
• The hosts recorded four runs in the bottom half of the frame, highlighted by an RBI single from Borter and a two-run double down the line in right by Angstman, for an 8-2 advantage.
• Amherst loaded the bases again in the eighth, pushing across a pair of runs. Jack McDermott drew a walk to force in Smith who doubled, while Padian lifted a sacrifice fly to left for an 8-4 score.
• Panther reliever Kutz set the Mammoths down in order in the ninth to complete the 8-4 victory.

NOTES

• Lessing recorded his second-straight complete game, striking out seven and walking none while allowing just one infield single.
• McCausland collected three RBI in the wins, moving into second place in the program's career records with 115.
• The programs played for the 74th and 75th meetings, as Middlebury has won seven of the last 10 matchups with Amherst.
• The Panthers have won 12 of their last 14 games this season.
• Middlebury earned its 20th win (20-9), marking the fourth time in the last four full seasons that the program has eclipsed the plateau.

The Panthers have nearly a week off from competition before they travel to Wesleyan on Friday at 4:00 p.m. for the opener of a three-game series.