ADDISON COUNTY — Middlebury outslugged host Vergennes and Mount Abraham remained undefeated to highlight area high school softball late last week.
In other action, MUHS won a home game, VUHS lost on the road, and Otter Valley lost twice to Division I rivals.
MUHS VS. VUHS
On Thursday, the visiting Tigers shrugged off a 5-4 first-inning deficit at VUHS in their 18-6 victory. MUHS scored seven times in the second to take the lead and added six in the fifth. Bridget Audet went the distance for the win, allowing six hits and seven walks and striking out five.
Audet also drove in two runs with two hits. Also contributing at the plate for MUHS were Lily Smith (two hits, three runs, two RBIs), Abby LaRock (two hits, two runs, three RBIs), Darcy Staats (two hits, three runs, three RBIs), Taylor Sylvester (RBI double), and Gwen Stafford (three hits, two runs).
For VUHS, Becca Maloy and losing pitcher Maranda Aunchman each singled and drove in two runs, Hannah Philbrook singled twice and scored, and Megan Tarte doubled and scored.
On Saturday, the Commodores bounced back to pick up their first win, 13-6 at Burlington. Taylor Bresnick doubled and singled twice, Xzavia Berry and Tarte each had three hits, and Sarah Rathbun added a pair to spark the attack. Aly Gebo picked up the pitching win.
Also on Saturday, the Tigers improved to 5-1 as Payton Buxton tossed a one-hitter and struck out 15 in a 5-0 win at Rice. LaRock homered, Buxton singled twice and Stafford tripled to pace the attack.
EAGLES
On Thursday the Eagles hung on for a 9-8 win over defending D-I champion Essex. The Hornets rallied for four runs in the seventh, but Coach Don McCormick said center fielder Jenna McArdle recorded the second out with a nice catch before winning pitcher Rachael McCormick struck out the final Essex batter.
Erika Tracey homered and drove in four runs for Mount Abe, Emily Aldrich poked two hits and scored three times, McCormick drilled three hits and drove in a run, and McArdle doubled to help erase an early 2-0 deficit.
On Saturday, the Eagles edged host BFA-St. Albans, 5-3, by breaking a 3-3 tie in the top of the seventh. McArdle drove in the go-ahead run, and Tracey added an RBI hit. McCormick (seven innings, eight hits, no walks and six strikeouts on the mound, plus a double, single and two runs at the plate) then nailed down the win as the Eagles improved to 4-0 heading into a Tuesday showdown at MUHS.
OTTERS
On Thursday, host Rutland’s Sarah Clark scored on a walk-off squeeze bunt in the bottom of the eighth to edge OV, 4-3. Courtney Bushey was the hard-luck losing pitcher. The Raiders improved to 3-3.
On Saturday, visiting Brattleboro moved to 4-1 with a 9-2 victory over OV, which dropped to 1-3 with its third D-I loss of the spring. Charlotte Wilson’s RBI double provided the highlight for OV, and Bushey took the pitching loss.