PHOENIX, Ariz. — The Middlebury College baseball team this past weekend dropped all three games of its opening NESCAC West Series to Williams as the Panthers wrapped up their spring break trip to Arizona.
On Saturday, Williams (8-2) swept a doubleheader, 9-8 and 10-9, a day after the Ephs rolled to an 18-5 series-opening triumph. The Panthers are 3-8 and will visit Amherst for three games this Friday and Saturday, weather permitting.
In the series finale on this past Saturday the Panthers took a 4-2 lead in the third. After the Ephs took an early 2-0 lead, Raj Palekar hit a base-clearing double in the third and later scored on an error.
But the Ephs scored six runs in the bottom of the third on seven hits to make it 7-4, and retained a slim lead the rest of the way despite a pair of RBI hits by Jason Lock, who also scored twice. Palekar also contributed another RBI hit. Colby Morris (1-2) allowed seven earned runs in 5.1 innings and took the loss.
Sean Hager (2-0) earned the win, going 5.2 innings and striking out seven.
In the second game, the Panthers took a 4-0 lead. Hits by Ryan Rizzo and Sam Graf produced a run in the first, and Brooks Carroll launched a three-run homer in the second. 
Williams made it 4-2 with single runs in the second and third innings and took a 6-4 lead a four-run fourth. Palekar’s three-run homer gave Middlebury back the lead, and a Graf sacrifice fly in the sixth made it 8-6.
The Ephs responded with two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh to make it 9-8. Justin Han’s RBI single in the top of the ninth tied the game, but a hit-batter and an RBI fielder’s choice plated the winning run in the bottom of the inning.
Han poked three hits, and Graf drove in two runs with two hits. Andrew Martinson (0-1) took the loss in relief, while Colin Waters got the starting nod, allowing four earned runs in 3.2 innings.
Kyle Dean (1-1) picked up the win in relief for Williams, tossing the final four innings and allowing only one earned run.
On Friday the Ephs shrugged off the Panthers’ two-run first inning to lead by 7-2 after four on the way to the 18-5 final.
Rizzo poked three hits and scored twice, while Graf stroked two hits and drove in three runs. Johnny Read and Andrew Hennings also chipped in two hits each. Robert Erickson (0-2) got the start for Middlebury and suffered the loss, giving up seven runs (three earned) on four hits in four innings.
Luke Rodino (2-0) worked into the sixth inning to earn the win.