The Middlebury softball team dropped its non-conference doubleheader to St. Lawrence on Wednesday. The Panthers were edged 7-6 in the opener, before falling 7-2 in the second contest.

GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS

• St. Lawrence opened the scoring in the top of the first. Madison Connelly plated Vivian Johnson with an RBI single to left center and Allison Kloft reached home on a fielder's choice for a 2-0 edge.
• Middlebury battled back in the bottom half. With two outs and the bases loaded, Olivia Schultz brought home two with a double that bounced off the center field wall to tie the game at 2-2. Nina Schroeder pushed the home team in front (3-2) with an RBI single through the right side.
• The Saints knotted the contest at 3-3 on a wild pitch in the second inning and took a 4-3 advantage when pinch hitter Zoe Davenport crossed the plate after getting out of a rundown between third and home.
• The Saints tacked on three runs in the top of the fifth via back-to-back run-scoring doubles by Marleigh Monroe and Leah Verschneider to build a 7-3 advantage.
• Middlebury answered in the bottom half. Cate Viola opened the inning with a single and Jennifer Westphal smacked a double to put two runners on. A batter later, McKenna Lont brought home Viola with a single up the middle and Westphal scored on a Saint throwing error. Caitlin Stanley smoked a run-scoring triple down the right field line to cut the deficit to one (7-6) to close out the inning.
• Middlebury put two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but Monroe tallied a strikeout to secure the save and one-run victory.

GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS

• St. Lawrence built a 3-0 advantage to open the contest, highlighted by base knocks from Verschneider and Marina Juan.
• The Panthers sliced the deficit to 3-1 with a run-scoring groundout from Olivia Scholes in the bottom of the first.
• Middlebury threatened to trim the Saints' lead in the second as Olivia Fleming and Kristyn Carroll drew back-to-back walks. The Saints worked out of the jam with a groundout to keep the Panthers off the board.
• The hosts loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the third, but Izzy Melanson snagged a lineout to keep the two-run advantage.
• St. Lawrence looked to extend their lead during the sixth inning, as Caelen Jahnie and Kloft tallied singles into the outfield. Abigail Jankowski worked out of the threat with a strikeout.
• The visitors added two insurance runs in the seventh on an RBI triple to left field by Connelly for a 7-1 lead.
• Middlebury looked to put together a rally but could only push one run across in its last at-bats as St. Lawrence earned the 7-2 victory and the doubleheader sweep.

NOTES

• Lont, Schroeder and Viola each had two hits in the opener.
• Stanley tallied her first triple in a Panther uniform.
• Middlebury and St. Lawrence met for the 13th and 14th time.

The Panthers close out their four-game homestand by hosting Tufts in a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 3:00 p.m.