A complete-game gem from Mia Gilham in the opener and timely hitting during the nightcap helped the Middlebury softball team take both ends of Sunday's doubleheader against Bates by scores of 1-0 and 7-3. 
 
GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS

• The visitors had a chance to get on the scoreboard in the second inning. Paige Schedler reached on a leadoff infield single and moved to second on a passed ball. Gilham promptly struck out the next three batters to end the rally.
• Middlebury placed runners on first and third in the home half. Reagan Adiletta reached on a fielder's choice and moved up a base on an infield single from Katelyn Mikros. Adiletta made it to third on a lineout, but Bates hurler Claire Ballard induced a groundout to keep the hosts off the board.
• The Panthers had a quality opportunity in the bottom of the sixth. Livy Schultz ripped a one-out single to right and jogged to third on a base knock to left from Adiletta. Ballard wiggled out of the jam with a ground ball to keep the contest scoreless.
• Middlebury manufactured a run in the seventh. McKenna Lont walked and scooted up a base on an Uma Corcoran bunt single. Olivia Scholes pushed the pair ahead on a sacrifice bunt, and Lont came across on an infield single by Kristyn Carroll for the 1-0 victory. 

GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS

• The Panthers struck first in the nightcap's initial inning. After logging a leadoff base hit, Carroll advanced to third on a single up the middle by Olivia Fleming. Jen Westphal dropped in a bloop single to score Carroll for a 1-0 edge.
• A frame later, Zariya Anderson walked and Sarah Danielson reached on an error. The Bates duo came around to score two unearned runs on a triple down the right-field line by Maddy Miller.
• The Bobcats made it 3-1 in the third when Maya Lee drew a base on balls and raced home on a base knock up the middle from Anderson.
• Middlebury regained the lead in the bottom half. Westphal poked a run-scoring base hit that plated Fleming from second and Lont pushed a seeing-eye single up the middle to bring two over the plate later in the inning (4-3).
• Scholes started the fourth with a single before Carroll roped a triple that caromed off the wall in straightaway center, bringing pinch runner Alison Jankowski around for a 5-3 contest. A sacrifice fly from Fleming and an RBI single from Adiletta later in the frame established a 7-3 advantage.
• The Bobcats managed just one base hit off reliever Emily Dowd over the final three innings. The Panther hurler got a popup and a pair of groundouts in the seventh to give Middlebury the sweep.  

NOTES

• Carroll collected four hits in eight at-bats during the two victories with a triple, two runs scored and two RBI. Westphal went a combined 4-for-7, including three hits in four trips during the second contest, while touching home twice and plating a pair of runs. 
• Gilham went the distance during the opener, earning her first complete game in a navy and white uniform. She struck out a career-high six batters and allowed just three hits in the shutout, pushing her record this spring to 5-0.
• Dowd secured her team-best ninth win (9-0) in the second contest, punching out five and surrendering one hit in four innings of work.
• The Panthers improved to 7-1 during NESCAC action after Sunday's sweep, matching the program's best start in league competition since the 2012 season.
• Middlebury and Bates played in the 22nd and 23rd matchups, with the Panthers winning three of the last four meetings.

Middlebury returns to action for its first true road game on Saturday against #12 Tufts. The initial pitch of the twin bill is slated for 12:00 p.m.