MIDDLEBURY, Vt. -- Middlebury College swept Bates in a NESCAC softball doubleheader Sunday, taking a 1-0 walk-off decision in the opener before a pair of middle-inning rallies carried the Panthers to a 7–3 win in Game Two.
The first game was a scoreless pitchers' duel into the final frame. Middlebury broke through in the bottom of the seventh, stringing together a lead-off walk, a bunt single, and a sacrifice to move runners into scoring position before CF Kristyn Carroll delivered a run-inducing infield single for the only run of the contest.
Claire Ballard (1-2) turned in a strong outing for Bates, allowing one run on seven hits over 6.1 innings. She worked around traffic throughout, keeping the Panthers off the board until the decisive rally. Bates recorded three hits—one each from CF
Zariya Anderson, DP
Paige Schedler, and 1B
Sarah Danielson—but couldn't solve Middlebury's Mia Gilham (5-0), who struck out six in a complete-game shutout.
In the nightcap, Bates generated early offense, but Middlebury (23-3, 7-1 NESCAC) responded quickly and took control with back-to-back multi-run innings.
After falling behind 1–0 in the first, the Bobcats answered in the second when 2B Maddy Miller lined a two-run triple down the right-field line to give Bates a 2–1 lead. Bates added another run in the third on an RBI single from Anderson to make it 3–1.
Middlebury answered immediately in the bottom of the third, scoring three runs to regain the lead at 4–3, capitalizing on a pair of run-scoring hits and a Bates error. The Panthers extended the margin in the fourth with three more runs, highlighted by an RBI triple from Carroll and a sacrifice fly from 2B Olivia Fleming, pushing the lead to 7–3.
Bates (9-16, 1-9 NESCAC) was limited to three hits in the second game. The Bobcats drew five walks, but were unable to mount a comeback against Middlebury reliever Emily Dowd (9-0), who struck out five over four scoreless innings.
The garnet and white returns to campus for a pair Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. vs. St. Joseph's College.
