Middlebury Falls to #25 Amherst in NESCAC Series Opener

Garrett Werner went 2-4 with a double in Friday's contest. Recap, photo courtesy of Middlebury.

Middlebury dropped the opening game of a NESCAC West series to visiting Amherst by a 5-0 count Friday on Forbes Field. Middlebury (8-14, 5-5) returns to the diamond for a twinbill today, Saturday against the 25th-ranked Purple & White (18-7, 5-2) scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m.

In the first inning, Middlebury starter Colby Morris worked out of trouble as Amherst collected three singles, but the first-year Panther hurler induced a ground ball double play and struck out Conner Gunn to end the threat.

An inning later, the Purple & White loaded the bases on a single by Dave Cunningham, followed by
Anthony Spina who was hit by a pitch and Sam Ellinwood got aboard via an error. Morris wiggled out of the jam with a lineout to shortstop, a fielder's choice and a groundout to third to keep the game scoreless.         

In the bottom of the second, the Panthers looked to put something together with two outs. Garrett Werner doubled down the right-field line and moved to third on a single to right from Brendan Donohue, putting runners on the corners. Amherst starter Jackson Volle picked off Donohue at first to end the threat.

The Purple & White pushed their first run of the contest across in the fourth when Spina took the first pitch he saw of the frame and tripled to right center, just out of the reach of Middlebury centerfielder Sam Graf. Ellinwood followed taking the initial pitch of his at-bat up the middle for a single to drive in Spina.

The following inning, a leadoff single to right by Harry Roberson followed by a double that one-hopped the wall off the bat of Ariel Kenney scored Roberson, making it a 2-0 score.

Amherst struck for the third-straight inning with a pair of unearned runs in the sixth. Ellinwood recorded a single to second, advanced on a sacrifice bunt and advanced to third on a fielder's choice and Middlebury throwing error. After Morris got the next batter to pop out, Roberson made it a 4-0 game when he doubled to right center brining in both Ellinwood and Max Steinhorn.

The Purple & White added a solo run in the ninth when the visitors again loaded the bases on a Kenney single, a Gunn double and Cunningham via an intentional walk. Spina hit a grounder up the middle that Panther shortstop Johnny Read knocked down but had no play, allowing Kenney from third. Morris kept the score at 5-0 when Ellinwood lined into an unassisted double play to third basemen Joe MacDonald.

Morris (2-3) suffered the loss for Middlebury in his second complete-game of the spring, allowing five runs, three earned, on 15 hits with three strikeouts and the intentional walk. Donohue went a perfect 3-3 at the plate, while Werner went 2-4 with a double. John Luke had the sixth hit for the hosts with a sixth-inning double.

Volle (6-0) tossed a complete-game six-hit shutout with three strikeouts to lead Amherst to the victory, lowering his league-leading ERA to 1.10.

Roberson finished 3-5 with a double, two RBI and a run scored to pace Amherst, while Kenney was 3-5 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Spina posted a 3-4 with a run scored and a run batted in, while Ellinwood (2-5, R, RBI) and Gunn (2-5) each had multi-hit games.