The Middlebury baseball team tallied a season-high 21 hits on Wednesday against Lawrence, cruising to a 16-6 seven-inning victory at Northeast Regional Park in Davenport, Florida.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sam Gersch put the Panthers ahead in the bottom of the first frame, plating Gus Parker with a single up the middle to make it 1-0.
• An inning later, Middlebury doubled its lead when Samuel Kidd scored on a Viking miscue.
• The navy and white continued to build the advantage in the home half of the third. A run-scoring double from Brayden Mathews into left-center field highlighted four tallies that extended the advantage to 6-0.
• Lawrence got on the board in its next at-bat with Myles Brincks scoring on a Middlebury throwing error.
• In the bottom half, Joe Basso smacked a double down the left-field line, pushing Henry Ayers to third base. Gersch extended his hot streak at the plate by knocking in both on a base hit to left. Three batters later, Kidd brought Gersch across on a single that snuck down the left-field line for a 9-0 ballgame.
• The Vikings' offense came to life during the fifth, scoring five runs and capitalizing on two Middlebury errors to trim the deficit to 9-6. Ben Gutowski closed the spurt with a run-scoring single that plated Sage Beebe-Jenny.
• The Panthers answered in their next time at the plate, as a run-scoring double from Gersch and a three-run homer to center by Carter Chi made it 13-6. 
• Middlebury continued to score in the bottom of the sixth. After Aiden Han led off the inning with a bunt single, Parker launched a run-scoring triple into the left-center gap. Ayers continued the hit train with a double to right center that plated Parker for a 16-6 contest.
• Lawrence looked to chip away at the deficit in the seventh, but Frederick Malek shook off a two-out single and tallied a swinging strikeout to preserve the 10-run victory.

NOTES

• Gersch had a highlight-filled day at the plate, recording a career-high five hits (5-for-5) with five runs batted in and three runs scored.  
• Basso was also a career-best 3-for-3 in the box. 
• Alex Faust earned the victory on the hill, hurling five solid innings with one earned run and three strikeouts.
• Chi blasted his second homer of the season and had a season-high three RBI in the triumph.
• Middlebury's 21 hits are the most in a game since 2023.
• The programs met for the fourth time, with the Panthers claiming each battle. 

Middlebury returns to the diamond on Friday, meeting Colby in a non-conference doubleheader commencing at 11:00 a.m.