ORLANDO, Fla. — The Middlebury College baseball team won four of six games played in Florida between Saturday and Tuesday and carried a 7-4 record into a contest scheduled against Union on Wednesday afternoon.
The Panthers are set to open NESCAC West play this weekend with a three-game set vs. Hamilton in Orlando. The teams will play one game at noon on Friday and then a doubleheader starting at noon on Saturday.
On this past Saturday the Panthers swept a twin bill from Lawrence, 9-2 and 10-0.
In the opener Colby Morris improved to 2-0 with a complete-game win, allowing two runs and five hits over seven innings with five strikeouts.
Andrew Hennings doubled, singled, scored and drove in two runs, Ryan Hanrahan poked two hits, Henry Strmecki belted a two-run homer, and Justin Han tripled and scored twice.
In game two, Michael Farinelli tossed six innings of two-hit baseball, striking out nine and walking none to earn the pitching victory. The Panthers pounded out 14 hits, three by Strmecki, who tripled twice, scored twice and drove in three. Sam Graf and Brooks Carroll each tripled, singled, score and drove in a run, and Andrew Gough finished with two hits and two runs.
On Sunday the Panthers split a pair of games with Elmhurst, winning the opener, 3-1, but falling in the nightcap, 4-1. 
Colin Waters earned the win in the opener, allowing one run and four hits over six innings with five strikeouts. George Goldstein tossed a scoreless seventh to earn the save.
Middlebury scored once in the first, when Hennings singled in Hayden Smith, who walked and stole second. In the fourth the Panthers added two more. Graf walked and moved to second on a single by Jake Dianno. Han doubled in Graf, and two batters later Hennings walked with the bases loaded to force in Dianno. Han and Dianno each finished the game with two hits.
In the nightcap Elmhurst hurler Jordan Scrimpsher earned the win, giving up one run on five hits over six innings with eight strikeouts.
The Panthers took the lead when Henry Strmecki led the game off with a triple and scored on a Smith sacrifice fly.
But Panther miscues allowed Elmhurst to score three unearned runs on six hits over 3.2 innings off starter Alex Rosario, who struck out five. In relief, Panther Bobby Sullivan gave up one run on two hits in 2.1 innings. 
 On Monday, Wisconsin-Whitewater, ranked No. 15 in NCAA Division III, scored in the bottom of the ninth inning to edge Middlebury, 4-3.  
The Panthers tied the game at 1-1 in the fourth on two hits, a Strmecki single and a Carroll double. After the Warhawks regained the lead, Phil Bernstein drilled a two-run homer in the fifth to make it 3-2.
Wisconsin-Whitewater knotted the score in the bottom half of the fifth and claimed the victory in the ninth after loading the bases with one out. The Panthers tried to turn a double play, but were unsuccessful as the winning run crossed the plate.
Alex Price threw eight innings for the Panthers, allowing four runs and fanning five, while George Goldstein (1-1) took the loss.
On Tuesday the Panthers took an early 5-1 lead on the way to a 6-4 win over Thomas. RBIs from Dianno and Gough scored runs in the first two innings. Panthers added three in the third, with a Dianno single, Kevin Woodring double and Jack Stolper sacrifice fly doing most of the damage. A Strmecki sacrifice fly plated Goolsby in the eighth for the final run.
Sam Grace earned the win, allowing two runs on two hits and striking out eight in five innings. Andrew Martinson and Morris pitched scoreless relief innings, with Morris getting the save.