The Middlebury baseball team erased a four-run deficit in the eighth inning and took Saturday's morning matchup to extra innings, but Amherst stacked three 11th-frame tallies en route to a 7-6 victory.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The Mammoths trotted ahead in the opening stanza. Aiden Dubetsky led off the contest with a base hit through the right side, while Charlie LaFreniere and Justin Orridge followed suit an out later to load the bases. Zander Carnahan uncorked a two-RBI double down the right field line to nab a 2-0 lead.
- With two away in the third, Matthew Chen pushed a single through the left side. Jackson Boyer plated him with a two-bagger to right that swelled the margin to 3-0.
- Amherst secured another insurance run (4-0) during the fourth frame. Carson Ames opened the session with a double and scampered home when LaFreniere sent a sacrifice fly to right field.
- Sam Gersch sparked a Panther surge two innings later with a base knock to center field. Joe Basso worked a full-count walk to put a pair on base, but a double play halted the momentum.
- The Mammoths applied pressure in the eighth, beginning when Hudson Fulcher-Melendy doubled down the left-field line before rounding third on an Ames single. Gersch came up throwing and sent a crisp delivery to Anthony Pellagrini, who flipped it to Henry Ayers for a 9-3-2 putout to stall the scoring chance.
- Middlebury found a rhythm in the ensuing half inning. JD Collins dropped a base hit into left field and crossed via an Ayers single. Basso logged an RBI fielder's choice, while Brayden Mathews and Aiden Han each picked up run-scoring knocks later in the frame to tie the bout at 4-4.
- The navy and white moved the game-winning tally within 90 feet in the bottom of the ninth, as Will Ashley logged a leadoff single before advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt and groundout. Gersch nearly ended the game with an excellent bunt, but a strong throw to first by Fulcher-Melendy snuffed out the squeeze play to send the tilt to extra innings.
- Following a quiet 10th inning, Amherst logged three runs on one hit and a pair of Panther miscues in the 11th to build a 7-4 advantage.
- Middlebury nearly twirled another miraculous comeback, loading the bases before Collins delivered with a two-RBI single to bring the Panthers within one. After an intentional walk was issued to Ayers, Walker Dellinger capped a strong outing with a swinging strikeout to halt the comeback bid and secure the 7-6 decision.
NOTES
- The sides squared off for the fourth time this season and the 82nd overall. The Mammoths took a 2-1 lead in the NESCAC Tournament series with Saturday's result.
- Middlebury concludes its ninth appearance on NESCAC Championship Weekend.
The Panthers await their NCAA Tournament fate when the field is announced during a selection show at
NCAA.com on Monday, May 11 at 12:00 p.m.
