The Middlebury softball team opened Monday with a 4-1 triumph over Kalamazoo before enduring a 7-5 setback against #21 DePauw in the nightcap. The doubleheader marked the squad's third and fourth contests at THE Spring Games in Clermont, Florida.

HIGHLIGHTS VS. KALAMAZOO

• The Hornets applied pressure in the home half of the first frame. Landrie Fridsma pushed a single through the left side and later stole second. Panther pitcher Emily Dowd struck out the next three batters, fanning two and freezing the third, to stall the swell.
• Kristyn Carroll legged out a bunt single with one away in the third session. She swiped second base an out later, but Hornet starter Maddie Potts stranded her to escape the frame.
• In the bottom half, Macy Ward logged a two-out infield single before Grace Rocco was plunked to put runners on first and second. Dowd again produced a swinging strikeout to end the stanza.
• Kalamazoo broke through in the sixth. Rocco dealt a two-bagger down the right field line before being lifted for pinch-runner London Rabb. One out later, Ella Neumann delivered a base hit through the left side that plated Rabb for a late 1-0 edge.
• The Panther bats found new life in the seventh. Reagan Adiletta and Livy Schultz opened the frame with consecutive base knocks, and each runner nabbed an extra base on a defensive miscue. After Adiletta scampered home on an infield fly, Kristyn Carroll cleared the bases with a triple to left center and scored on an RBI single from Sarah LaFond, giving the navy and white a 4-1 advantage.
• After issuing a leadoff walk, Dowd retired the side in order to finalize the 4-1 triumph.

HIGHLIGHTS VS. DEPAUW

• The Tigers opened the scoring in the third. Avery Welsh led off with an infield single and advanced to third on Libby Minobe's double an out later. Kelsey Schneider then drove in Welsh with a hit, while Minobe scored on the throw. Paige Brady capped the spurt with a hit that brought in Schneider, making it 3-0.
• In the bottom half, McKenna Lont drew a leadoff walk before dashing home on a double in the left-center gap from Sera Tokumaru to cut the lead to two (3-1).
• DePauw added four tallies during the fourth. Ella Ohrvall reached on a miscue before a single and hit by pitch loaded the bases. Minobe drew a base on balls to push the fourth run across before a wild pitch and a base hit from Schneider tacked on three more runs to make it a 7-1 game.
• Middlebury capitalized on four Tiger miscues to bring three runners home and trim the margin to three (7-4).
• With one out in the final frame, Tokumaru raced down the line to reach base on a looping infield hit. LaFond brought her home with a single up the middle, but the Panthers would get no closer as DePauw held on for the win.

NOTES

• Dowd picked up her second complete game and tallied a career-high nine strikeouts against Kalamazoo.
• Tokumaru notched her first two collegiate hits against DePauw.
• The Panthers and Hornets met for the sixth time in a series now knotted at 3-3.
• Middlebury and the Tigers squared off for just the third time and the first since 2012.

The Panthers open tomorrow's twin bill against Lawrence University at 10:00 a.m. before taking on North Central (Minn.) at 12:30 p.m.