Late Rally Lifts Wesleyan Past Middlebury in NESCAC Series Opener

Erin Giles blasted her first home run of the season in Friday's contest. Photo is courtesy of Middlebury College

Middlebury lost the opening game of a NESCAC West series to visiting Wesleyan by a 2-1 count on Friday. The Cardinals came from behind, scoring a pair of unearned runs in the top of the seventh inning for the victory. Middlebury (10-7, 0-3) returns to the diamond for a twinbill Saturday against the Cardinals (17-9, 3-4) scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m.

Friday's game featured a pitching duel between Middlebury's Neve Stearns and Wesleyan's Su Pardo.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Erin Giles gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead, hitting the first pitch of the at-bat on a high fastball over the left-center field wall. The homer was the first this spring for Giles and the second of her career.

In the top of the fifth, Wesleyan's Amanda Roosa hit a seeing-eye single up the middle to lead off the frame. She moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt, but with third base vacated after Giles charged on the sacrifice, Stearns made a fine defensive play racing over to tag out Roosa.

An inning later, the Cardinals again threatened to score. Pardo led off with a single to left center on a blooper between three Panthers, and raced to second on a Middlebury miscue on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Isabel Linzer. The pair each advanced a base on a passed ball, but Stearns wiggled out of the jam with three-straight strikeouts to end the threat.

Down a run headed to the seventh, Wesleyan scored the decisive runs on two hits and was aided by a Middlebury error. Roosa induced a lead-off walk, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and to third on a fielder's choice off the bat of Jamie Hom, as an errant throw allowed her to reach third safely.

With runners on the corners and one out, pinch-hitter Angelina Massoia singled to center, driving in Roosa to tie the game, while Hom was thrown out trying to get to third and Massoia scampered to second. Pardo gave the Cardinals the lead for good when she doubled on the first pitch, hitting a ball that ticked off the glove of Middlebury center fielder Siobhan O'Sullivan, who was battling the wind.
Pardo sent the Panthers down in order in the home half of the seventh for the win.

Giles went 1-3 with the fourth-inning home run, while O'Sullivan, Emma Hamilton, Carlyn Vachow and each had singles. Stearns (3-4) was the tough-luck loser, giving up just the two unearned runs in seven innings on five hits with a season-best seven strikeouts.

Roosa was 1-2 with a walk and run scored, while Pardo had two hits in three at-bats with a double and an RBI. Pardo (9-2) went the distance for the win, allowing one earned run on five hits over seven innings while striking out eight.