For Release: April 7, 2008

WOMEN’S LACROSSE PICKS UP TWO WINS

The Middlebury College women’s lacrosse team picked up two more wins last week, victories over NESCAC foes Williams and Amherst. The week began as the Panthers earned a 13-10 win at Renzie Lamb Field in Williamstown. The Panthers led by five early on, before the Ephs cut the lead to one in the second half.

Senior Katherine Entwisle (Lower Gwynedd, Pa.) led the Panthers' scoring attack with four goals, while first-year player Chase Delano (Greenwich, Conn.) added three.

Middlebury controlled play throughout the first half, jumping out to a 5-0 lead over the first 20 minutes of the contest. Entwisle scored twice in that span while Delano, sophomore Lindsay Winstead (Chevy Chase, Md.) and senior Mimi Schatz (Baltimore, Md.) each tallied one goal.

Julia Nawrocki finally got the Ephs on the board with 8:37 left in the half when she scored on a free position shot, but Middlebury went into the halftime break up 7-2 as first-year player Sally Ryan (Mountain Lakes, N.J.) and Delano scored in the closing minutes.

The second half was controlled early by Williams as goals by seniors Sara duPont (2), Whitney Thayer and Tina Nawrocki cut the visitors lead to 7-6 after the first 9:16 of the stanza. Junior Caroline Kirkendoll (Telluride, Colo.) and Winstead scored goals 35 seconds apart to bump the Middlebury lead back up to three again.

Julia Nawrocki then scored to make it 9-7, spinning around her defender on the left side of the net, racing in front of the net and then jumping up to shoot over two Panther defenders and beat Middlebury junior goalie Blair Bowie (Washington, D.C.).

The Panthers would have the answer again in the form of Entwisle, who scored back-to-back goals 55 seconds apart to give Middlebury an 11-7 lead.

The Ephs stayed in the game in part due to a great effort from goalkeeper Julia Schreiber, who finished with 22 saves, including a half-dozen on free-position shots.

Middlebury outshot the Ephs, 40-21, and controlled the draws, 16-9. Senior Reid Berrien (Westport, Conn.) had six draw controls and six groundballs for the Panthers, both team highs.

Leading 3-1, Middlebury scored the game’s next six goals on its way to a 14-3 win over Amherst on Kohn Field. The Panthers move to 6-2 on the season, while Amherst suffers its first loss of the year, moving to 8-1.

Middlebury struck early with goals from Schatz and Entwisle in the first 1:46 to take a 2-0 lead. Entwisle struck again before Hannah Walker put Amherst on the board at the 13:47 mark. Middlebury took a 4-1 lead before Entwisle scored twice in the final 2:43 of the half to give the Panthers a 6-1 lead at the intermission.

The lead grew to 9-1 in the second half, behind Entwisle’s fifth goal of the game. Amherst answered with a pair of tallies before Middlebury closed the game on a 5-0 run to earn the 14-3 victory.

Entwisle’s five goals led Middlebury, followed by three goals and an assist from Chase Delano and two goals and a helper from Schatz. Amy Craig had a goal and an assist for Amherst.

Bowie played 56 minutes in goal for Middlebury, ending the afternoon with seven saves. Linda McEvoy made nine saves in goal for the Jeffs.
• Women’s lacrosse record: 6-2
• Up next: 4/12 @ Trinity – 11:00

TRACK & FIELD HOSTS MEET

The Panther track and field teams hosted the Middlebury Invitational on Saturday, with teams from Bowdoin, Springfield and Colby-Sawyer competing. The Panther women placed second of four teams, while the men placed third.

Sophomore Anjuli Demers (Dracut, Mass.) picked up a win for the Middlebury women, capturing the 200 with a time of 26.36. First-year racer Grace Close (Fox Point, Wis.) won the 400 (1:00.89), while classmate Sophia Spring (Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.) was a victor in the 1500 (4:49.36). Also earning wins for Middlebury were sophomore Laura Dalton (Simsbury, Conn.) in the 400 hurdles (1:06.05) and senior Sarah Wilson (Winchester, Mass.) in the pole vault (9’10”).

First-year athlete Connor Wood (Chicago, Ill.) picked up a win for the men, capturing the 800 with a time of 1:59.86. Also turning in top performances for the men were sophomore Micah Wood (Tacoma, Wash.), who placed fourth in the 100 (11.57), junior Ben Fowler (Bethesda, Md.) in the 400 hurdles (1:00.71) and junior Andres Gonzales-Stewart (Red Hook, N.Y.) in the steeplechase (10:27.57). Rookie Adam Dede (West Chester, Ohio) earned a second place finish in the pole vault (13’1.5”), while senior Greg Bassell (West Nyack, N.Y.) was fourth in the hammer (127’8”).
• Track& Field hosts meet
• Up next: 4/12 – Host Vermont & St. Michael’s – 11:00

MEN’S TENNIS EARNS THREE NESCAC WINS

The Middlebury College men’s tennis team earned three NESCAC wins last week, two of them coming on the road. The Panthers defeated Hamilton 9-0 at home on Wednesday, before going on the road to blank Connecticut College 9-0, and edge Trinity 5-4.

Middlebury had little trouble with Hamilton as the Panthers cruised (9-0) to straight-set victories in each match, dropping just 15 games in singles play. Much the same at Connecticut College as the Panthers dropped only 11 games in singles play on their way to the 9-0 win. The match at Trinity was tight, with the Panthers falling in a 3-0 hole early with three doubles losses. Middlebury battled back to win five of six singles contests to edge the Bantams, 5-4.

For complete match summaries, see: http://www.middlebury.edu/athletics/sports/mens/tennis/
• Men’s tennis record: 10-3
• Up next: 4/2 vs. Hamilton – 4:00, 4/5 @ Conn. College – 1:00

MEN’S LACROSSE UNDEFEATED AT 8-0

The Panther men’s lacrosse team defeated Williams 7-6 at Kohn Field on Wednesday. The Ephs battled back from a three goal deficit in the second half, but Middlebury junior goalie Pete Britt (Summit, N.J.) made three of his nine saves in the waning minutes of play to preserve the win.

Williams struck first with a man-up goal by David Hawley at the 9:38 mark in the first quarter. The Ephs’ lead was short lived however, as the Panthers answered on a goal eight seconds later. Junior Dave Campbell (Boise, Idaho) won the face-off and quickly fed sophomore Pete Smith (Wilton, Conn.) for the tying tally. Middlebury tacked on a pair of goals later in the first, when junior Mike Stone (Boston, Mass.) slipped one past Williams’ goalie Michael Gerbush with 1:52 on the clock. Less than a minute later, Smith fed a cutting Rory Sanborn (Glyndon, Md.) for a 3-1 lead.

The Ephs tied the game at three apiece with a pair of goals in the second quarter. Richard Reuter’s goal cut it to 3-2 with 13:35 left, while Ryan Powell’s transition goal knotted the game at the 6:42 mark. The Panthers responded with another goal by Stone and a man-up goal by junior Matt Ferrer (Darien, Conn.), taking a 5-3 lead into halftime.

Senior Jim Cabrera’s (Old Greenwich, Conn.) laser from the right side gave Middlebury a three goal lead with 11:42 left in the third. Williams cut it to 6-4 on Hawley’s second goal of the game, ending the scoring in the third quarter. Moments into the fourth, Corey Jacobs won the initial face-off and scampered down to the crease firing a shot past Britt, cutting the lead to 6-5 with 14:53 left in the game. Midway through the fourth, Ferrer collected a pass from Smith and shot one between the legs of Gerbush for a 7-5 lead.

With less than three minutes to play, Britt stopped a pair of Eph shots before Michael Vrla’s goal cut the Middlebury lead to one with 1:02 remaining. Williams won the ensuing face-off and Powell ripped off a shot at the goal, but Britt made the save, securing the win for the Panthers.

Stone led the way for the Panthers, scoring a pair of goals and adding an assist, while Smith added a goal and two assists and Ferrer racked up two tallies. Britt stopped nine shots and allowed six goals for Middlebury, while Gerbush had 11 saves and gave up seven goals for Williams.

Middlebury remained undefeated on the season as they picked up a 15-13 road win at Amherst. The Jeffs trailed 10-4 at the half, but closed to within a single goal of tying the game before falling in regulation to the undefeated Panthers.

The 8-0 Panthers scored the game’s first goal in less than one minute of play on a nice finish by Ferrer, off a Sanborn feed. Amherst responded with a pair of goals and led 2-1. Middlebury took over for the remainder of the first quarter, and the first five minutes of the second frame. The Panthers rattled off seven consecutive goals to take a commanding 8-2 lead. During the stretch, junior Tom Petty (Newburyport, Conn.) scored three straight goals, en route to six on the day. The two sides traded a pair of scores to close the half with Amherst trailing 10-4.

Petty started off the second half scoring with his fourth of the day, just 1:01 into the third quarter, as Amherst looked as though they were in for another long half. The Lord Jeffs flipped a switch after an unassisted score from Alex Miller answered. Miller came off the bench, and beat his man before scoring in traffic on his first shot of the game.

From the 9:41 mark of the third quarter to the 11:16 point in the fourth, the Lord Jeffs scored six straight goals to close the gap to 11-10. During the stretch, Ferrer scored his second of the day, while Tom McDonnell hit on a pair of shots.

Just 14 seconds after a failed man-up for Amherst, Middlebury’s Alex Giammarco (Medfield, Mass.) scored an unassisted goal to end the Amherst streak. The Panther’s rolled off another two consecutive scores to push the lead up to 14-10.

Amherst scored three of the final four goals of the game, including a pair in the final 50 seconds, but ran out of time for their comeback effort.

Middlebury was paced by Petty’s six goals and an assist, while a trio of teammates scored a pair of goals. Peter Britt ended the day with 13 saves in the cage for the Panthers.
• Men’s lacrosse record: 8-0
• Up next: 4/8 @ Rensselaer, 4/12 vs. Trinity – 1:00

WOMEN’S TENNIS FALLS TO WELLESLEY

The Middlebury College women’s tennis team lost its only match of the week as they dropped an 8-1 decision at Wellesley. Junior Clare Burke (Summit, N.J.) was Middlebury’s lone winner, picking up a 6-4, 6-7 (7-4), 10-8 win in the #4 singles slot.

For the complete match summary, see: http://www.middlebury.edu/athletics/sports/womens/tennis/2007-2008/news/news_633431578092118625.htm
• Women’s tennis record: 7-2
• Up next: 4/8 @ Williams, 4/12 vs. Bowdoin – 11:00

SOFTBALL SWEEPS SKIDMORE

The Panther softball team pounded out 25 hits on the way to a 5-3, 11-3 sweep of Skidmore, Wednesday at Skidmore. The Thoroughbreds fall to 3-13, while the Panthers improve to 7-5.

In the first game, Middlebury scored three runs in the top of the first and then held Skidmore off for the win. Sophomore Kristin Maletsky (Kinnelon, N.J.) keyed the Panther first inning, ripping a two-out two-run double. Middlebury made it 4-0 in the second when first-year player Carlie Crawford (Mount Vernon, Wash.) walked and later scored from second on a two-out single by classmate Megan Margel (Ridgewood, N.J.).

Megan Braucher got one back for Skidmore with a solo home run in the bottom of the second.

In the fourth, first-year player Leslie Crawford (Mount Vernon, Wash.) singled and scored on a two-out single by senior Allison Bard (Jenkintown, Pa.) to give the Panthers a 5-1 lead.

The Thoroughbreds scratched out a run in the sixth when Lauren Dinsdale singled and scored on a fielder's choice. In the seventh, Skidmore closed the gap to two when Charlotte Evans doubled and scored on a Sarah Stehouwer single.

Senior Brittany Burke (Medfield, Mass.) had the win for Middlebury, allowing three runs on eight hits. Margel was 3-4 and L. Crawford was 2-3 with a stolen base.

In the second game, Skidmore grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first, but the Panthers rallied back with two in the third, four in the fourth, and five in the seventh for the 11-3 win.

For Middlebury, Margel was 4-5 with two doubles and six RBI. She had a two-run double in the third and cleared the bases in the seventh with a three run double. C. Crawford was 3-5 with two RBI and Bard was 3-5 with an RBI triple in the seventh. First-year player Geena Constantin (Pelham, N.H.) earned her first collegiate win, allowing one earned run on seven hits with seven strikeouts.
• Softball record: 7-5
• Up next: 4/8 @ Rensselaer (2), 4/9 vs. Castleton (2) – 3:00, 4/11 vs. Wesleyan – 5:00, 4/12 vs. Wesleyan (2) – 12:00

BASEBALL PLAYS FOUR GAMES

The Middlebury College baseball team won at Southern Vermont before travelling to Wesleyan for a three-game NESCAC West series. Trailing 5-3 in game one, the Cardinals scored seven runs in the seventh to pick up the victory. Joe Giaimo delivered the big hit in the seventh for the Cardinals, lashing a bases-loaded triple into right centerfield on a full-count pitch to give Wesleyan the lead for good.

Two batters earlier, senior Graham Douds had put an RBI single into right field to cut the Panthers lead to 5-4. In addition to driving in the three runs to give the Cardinals a 7-5 edge, Giaimo scored on his hit as the throw home caromed off the catcher and nearly out of play. Giaimo finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBI. Wesleyan added two more runs in the frame on RBI doubles by Derek Dettore and Drew Dominguez.

Middlebury took a 3-2 lead in the fifth when sophomore Erich Enns (Lansdale, Pa.), slapped a two-run single through the right side of the infield. After Wesleyan had tied the game in the bottom of the fifth, Enns came through again in the top of the seventh, helping Middlebury pick up two more runs with an RBI single to right center and then scoring on a double deep to right by senior John Lanahan (Jacksonville, Fla.). That brought about a pitching change for Wesleyan and Giaimo took the mound in relief of starter senior Kit Tholen, hitting the first batter he faced then getting the final out of the inning.

Senior Jack Britton (Carmel, Calif.) took the loss for Middlebury, allowing the first six runs but did record 10 strikeouts. Rookie Scooter Scott (Marlboro, Vt.) had no luck for Middlebury, giving up four runs in relief in the seventh before being pulled. Michael Cifuentes tossed the final two innings for Wesleyan, allowing two hits and no runs.

Middlebury earned a split of a doubleheader at Wesleyan on day two of a NESCAC West series. The Panthers picked up three unearned runs in the third inning as the rookie pitching combination of Nick Angstman (Williston, Vt.) and Donald McKillop (Poway, Calif.) limited Wesleyan to one run on seven hits in securing a win for the Panthers.

After senior Tyler Lohman (El Cerrito, Calif.) reached on a dropped infield pop and senior Nick Lefeber (Branford, Conn.) singled to make it first and third to start the third inning for Middlebury, senior Gabe Broughton (Barrington, R.I.) singled through the left side to give Middlebury the lead for good.

Wesleyan pitcher Louis Gabel, who allowed just six hits and no earned runs with six strikeouts, then fielded a come-backer but his throw to third for the force out was muffed, leaving the bases loaded. A ground ball double-play by junior Mark Shimrock (Lansdale, Pa.) brought in a run and Enns capped the scoring with an RBI single up the middle. Wesleyan got one back in the sixth on a pinch-hit RBI double by senior Graham Douds. With McKillop coming in to throw the seventh inning for Middlebury, Wesleyan did not get the ball out of the infield as the final three outs were recorded. Shimrock ended the game with a pair of hits for Middlebury.

In game two, Wesleyan’s Sargent entered the game in the top of the fifth with the bases loaded and two outs, getting Wesleyan out of trouble with a sharp infield groundout to keep it a 1-1 game. Jeff Bizinkauskas then knocked in Brice Kelly with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the frame on a double to left center, helping the Cardinals gain a split in the double-header and take the season series with Middlebury, 2-1.

Sargent finished the game on the mound going 4.1 innings while yielding just two hits. He retired the Panthers in the ninth inning on three consecutive groundouts, one to second and two to short. Kelly had two hits for Wesleyan and scored both Cardinal runs. Drew Dominguez brought him in during the third with a single, tying the game. Middlebury had taken the early lead in the second when Enns, who singled to left and moved to second on a ground out, crossed the plate on a single to left by junior Peter Bourdon (Simsbury, Conn.). Senior Christian Hansen (Laramie, Wyo.) threw 6.1 innings for the Panthers, allowing just two runs on seven hits, while junior Matt Joseph (Alexandria, Va.) threw 1.2 innings of scoreless relief.

Earlier in the week, Middlebury earned an 8-1 win over Southern Vermont in its first game back since a spring break trip to Arizona. The Panthers pitching combination of junior Steve Shortle (Rutland, Vt.), junior Robert Palladino (Belmont, Mass.), senior Tom Sullivan (Saugus, Mass.) and rookie Andrew Somberg (Florham Park, N.Y.) scattered six hits over nine innings of work. Palladino picked up the win with three innings of scoreless relief.

Middlebury scored in six of the nine innings, with not more than two runs/inning. Lefeber had two hits and scored two runs, Broughton tallied two knocks and an RBI, while Shimrock registered a double and a triple to go along with an RBI and two runs scored. Lanahan contributed two singles and an RBI, while Lohman scored two runs and cracked two singles.
• Baseball record: 4-9
• Up next: 4/9 vs. Plymouth – 3:30, 4/10 @ St. Michael’s, 4/12 @ Bates, 4/13 @ Bates

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