The Middlebury baseball team stormed back from a 6-1 deficit through five innings on Friday to earn a 7-6 victory over Wesleyan in the NESCAC West series opener.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Panthers jumped ahead in the second inning. After Aiden Han sent a leadoff single to left field and swiped second base, Pablo Spielman-Rodriguez dealt a sacrifice fly to left field that marked the opening tally.
• The hosts parried with five runs in the bottom half of the frame. Kato Mangum guided Sam Hensinger home on an RBI base hit to tie the bout before Sebastian Ortiz allowed Jonah Timmons to come across for a 2-1 advantage. Mangum scored on a passed ball before Matthew DeBenedictis pushed a two-run single through the right side, making it a 5-1 ballgame.
• The pitchers settled in for the ensuing two frames. Henry Ayers doubled and Joe Basso followed with a base knock with one away in the fifth, but Cardinal pitcher Cole Perkin induced consecutive flyouts to quell the chance.
• During the home portion, Timmons doubled in Oliver Kwan to cushion the lead (6-1).
• It was Middlebury's turn for a big inning in the sixth. Brayden Mathews reached on an error and advanced to third on a double from Han. JD Collins roped a pinch-hit, two-run double to left that sliced the deficit to three before hustling home on a sac fly to left. Ayers belted a two-bagger down the left-field line and scurried home on a Basso base knock to pull within one (6-5).
• The Panthers tied the game in the seventh. Anthony Pellagrini led off with a free pass before Mathews reached first on a defensive miscue. Han made it to first on an error and Pellagrini dashed home on the play for the 6-6 deadlock.
• In the decisive eighth inning, Ayers opened by reaching on a two-base error. Two outs later, Pellagrini sent a double down the left-field line to encourage Ayers across the plate and push the visitors in front 7-6.
• Pitcher Christian Zebrowski cemented the come-from-behind triumph with four punchouts over the final two sessions.

NOTES

• Four batters logged multiple hits in the victory. Ayers spearheaded the efforts with two doubles and a pair of runs scored.
• Skylar Platt and Zebrowski combined to hurl four innings of one-hit ball and six strikeouts.
• The programs met for the 100th matchup in the all-time series, with Middlebury running its winning streak to eight against the Cardinals.

The Panthers continue the series against Wesleyan with a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 12:00 p.m.