MIDDLEBURY, VT- With the game tied at 4-4, Sawyer Duarte stepped into the batter's box in the bottom of the 7
th and found the gap in right centerfield, allowing Kyle McCausland to reach home with the go-ahead run over the Ephs. Middlebury was able to hold off Williams for the remainder as the Ephs would come up just short, falling to 7-11 on the season.
Middlebury was able to grab an early lead in the 1
st with an RBI single from Sammy Smith that gave the Panthers the 1-0 lead.
Williams answered in the 3
nd inning, taking advantage of a couple walks and infielder error to send
Mike Giove and
Jon Singleton home as the Ephs took the 2-1 lead. Building some momentum,
Eric Pappas stole second and
Ryan Young stole third before Danny Lynch took his pitch into right field to send both runners home, putting Williams up 4-1.
Middlebury chipped away at this lead in the bottom of the inning with Alec Ritch stealing home to cut the lead to 4-2.
In the 5
th inning, Zip Malley connected up the middle for an RBI putting the Panthers within one.
The tying run would come in the 6
th when Mitchell Schroeder found left center for a double that brought in Beau Root to even the score at 4 all.
Duarte's double in the 7
th gave the Panthers the lead again and the win as Williams was unable to answer, only reaching base once more.
"It was a well-fought game, and we just came up a bit short," remarked Ephs head coach
Bill Barrale. "Missing three starters we tried to play small ball. We bunted a few times and stole some bases, but we only got 4 hits," Barrale added.
Despite the loss, Barrale was pleased with his team's performance. "I thought
Eric Gage pitched a great game and I was pleased with how hard our kids played," said Barrale who is looking forward to facing the Panthers again. "We get to play Middlebury two more times up here on Sunday."
The Ephs will stay in Vermont for the doubleheader which begins at 12:00pm as the team hopes to bounce back.
