MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — The Middlebury College baseball team was swept by host Wesleyan this past weekend. The Panthers dropped to 2-11, 0-6 in NESCAC West play, while Wesleyan moved to 14-5, 3-5 NESCAC.
The Panthers had been set to travel to St. Michael’s on Tuesday, but that doubleheader was postponed. The Panthers will head to NESCAC West foe Hamilton for a three-game set this Friday and Saturday.
After a 7-1 loss to the Cardinals this past Friday, Wesleyan edged the Panthers twice on Saturday, 1-0 and 4-3.
Friday’s highlight for the Panthers came from Johnny Read, who knocked out a pair of hits in his college debut. Middlebury took the lead in the second inning via an RBI groundout by Ryan Rizzo, scoring Read who singled earlier in the inning. Wesleyan tied the game in the home half of the third on a throwing error with two outs and a runner at third base and took the lead for good in the fourth on a bases-loaded grounder.
John Luke added his fifth double of the season for the Panthers, while Eric Truss (0-3) took the loss. He allowed six runs, four earned, on 10 hits in 7.0 innings. Eddie DeArias hurled the eighth inning for Middlebury giving up an unearned run on two hits.
In Saturday’s opener, Wesleyan’s Jeff Blout out-dueled Middlebury’s Cooper Byrne on the mound.
Blout scattered five hits and worked out of two jams to post his first win of the season. Middlebury had two runners on with one out in both the fifth and seventh innings, but Blout got the final two outs each time.
Wesleyan’s lone run came in the fifth when a leadoff walk was followed by a pair of bunt singles and a sacrifice fly. Wesleyan managed just four hits off Byrne, who struck out two and walked four. Blout had six strikeouts and surrendered just one walk.
In the second game, Wesleyan got its first three runs with single tallies in the second, sixth and seventh innings. Middlebury produced its first run in the fourth. Charlie Boardman’s double scored Joe MacDonald, who had singled.
In the eighth inning Middlebury rallied for a pair of runs to even the count. An RBI single by Alex Kelly plated Rizzo, who had singled earlier. As Kelly advanced to second on the throw home, an errant throw allowed MacDonald, who had reached on a fielder’s choice, to score from third.
In the ninth, Wesleyan loaded the bases on a walk, a single by Jon Dennett and an intentional walk, and scored the winning run on a squeeze bunt.
MacDonald, Jason Lock and Read all had two hits for Middlebury. Panther starting pitcher Logan Mobley went 6.0 innings, yielding four hits and one earned run. Dylan Kane took the loss for the Panthers.