MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury College men’s lacrosse team continued its recent surge by defeating visiting Bates on Saturday, 10-7. The Panthers used a 4-1 third-quarter run to erase a 5-4 deficit en route to the NESCAC victory.
 The Panthers, winners of their last three, improved to 5-5 overall and 4-3 in NESCAC play. Middlebury returns to action on Wednesday with a game at Springfield. The Bobcats dropped to 4-6, 1-6 in league play.
The visitors scored the only two goals in the first quarter, but Middlebury tied the score with a pair of transition strikes in the first four minutes of the second quarter.Tim Giarrusso made it 2-1 with an assist from Chris Peterson, and Chase Clymer scored unassisted.
Both scored twice during the remainder of the second quarter. Middlebury’s Brian Ayers  and  Jack Cleary tallied unassisted goals as the first half ended at 4-4.
Bates scored early in the second half, but the Panthers racked up four of the next five goals, allowing the Bobcats to take their final lead at 8:36.
Middlebury posted the next three goals, starting with a man-up score by Stephen Seymour on an assist from Jon Broome. Broome followed 27 seconds later with a goal, and Jack Rautiola produced another on a feed from Seymour.
Bates made it 8-7 in the final minute of the third, and in the fourth Rautiola notched goals at the 8:33 and 1:48 marks.
Rautiola’s three goals paced Middlebury, while Cleary added a pair of scores. Harrison Goodkind won 13 of 21 faceoffs to go along with three ground balls for Middlebury. Darric White had three ground balls along with two caused turnovers. Goalie Nate Gaudio made 13 stops for the Panthers.
Charlie Hildebrand and Jack Allard each finished with two goals and an assist for Bates, while Kazarian made 11 saves.
Middlebury possessed slight edges in shots (40-37), ground balls (24-20) and faceoffs won (13-9).