The Colby Mules, in their NCAA debut, are headed to the Super Regionals after defeating No. 2-seeded MIT twice on Saturday at the Bangor Regional hosted by Husson. In the Medford Regional hosted by Tufts, Middlebury shut out the Jumbos, 5-0, in an elimination game to advance to the regional championship. The Panthers, who needed two wins to advance in the tournament, fell to Muhlenberg in the first game to end the season.
 
Colby will face Rowan in a best-of-three Super Regional series on May 21-22. The Profs knocked off East Texas Baptist in Marshall, Texas to advance to the Super Regionals.
 
Colby def. MIT, 9-2 | Box Score
In a must-win game to keep the season alive, the Mules led 3-0 after one and a half innings. The Engineers trimmed the lead to one with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second, but that was all the offense MIT could muster. Colby combined for five runs in the final three innings for a 9-2 victory. Avery Lyman was 3-for-3 to lead Colby, while Emma Burnham was 2-for-3 with four runs scored and an RBI. Carissa Cassidy, Juliana Kiley, and Victoria Ramirez all knocked out two hits and combined for five RBI. Sophia Mead earned the win, allowing just two hits and zero runs over 5.2 innings. The Engineers were limited to just five hits in the contest.
 
Colby def. MIT, 8-5 | Box Score
In the final game of the regional, MIT took a 2-0 lead after its first at-bats in the top of the first. Colby (30-12) answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame to push out to a 3-2 advantage. Both teams tacked on a run in the second, but Colby maintained its one-run lead, 4-3, until the bottom of the fifth. In Colby’s half of the inning, the Mules exploded for five runs. Kathryne Clay started the rally with an RBI single. Julia Berry drove in another run on a sac fly, and Carissa Cassiday hit a bases-clearing triple to push the Mules’ lead to 8-3 heading into the final two innings. MIT scored twice in the top of the seventh to climb back within three, 8-5, but could not complete the comeback. Cassidy finished the game going 2-for-3 at the plate with a run scored and two RBI. Caroline DeSimone, Avery Lyman, and Clay also punched out two hits for the Mules, and each scored a run. Sharlotte Stazinski earned the win, scattering six hits and striking out four batters. Sophia Meade was credited with the save as she pitched the seventh to close out the victory. The Mules reach the 30-win mark for the first time in program history.
 
Middlebury def. Tufts, 5-0 | Box Score
In an all-NESCAC elimination game at Spicer Field, Middlebury’s Emily Ye pitched a five-hit shutout to lead the Panthers to a 5-0 win over Tufts (31-12) to stay alive in the NCAA Regional. The Jumbos had base runners in nearly every inning, but could not score. Middlebury took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first and increased the margin to 5-0 with three runs in the top of the third. Ye stranded eight Jumbo runners in the contest and improved to 5-3 in the circle. Sarah LaFond led the Panthers with a 2-for-4 effort and three RBI.
 
Muhlenberg def. Middlebury, 7-5 | Box Score
The Panthers would need to beat Muhlenberg twice to move on to the Super Regionals, but the Mules erased a 3-2 deficit with a five-run fourth inning and held off the Panthers for a 7-5 victory. Middlebury took a 3-2 lead by scoring once in the first three innings. In the fourth, Muhlenberg’s Hailey Godin followed consecutive singles from Josie Hoffacker and Ava Storlazzi with a two-run triple to right field. A fielder's choice bunt from Lillie Teague scored a fifth run, while a Panther miscue pushed two more runs across to cap the five-run frame and open a 7-3 advantage. Sera Tokumaru guided a run-scoring single to right in the fifth and Olivia Scholes logged an RBI infield knock in the sixth, but Abigail Kim registered the final five outs in the circle for the 7-5 final score. Kristyn Carroll led Middlebury with a 2-for-5 effort, two runs scored, and two RBI. Middlebury finishes the season at 35-10, marking the winningest season in program history. The Panthers also claimed the NESCAC title for the second time in team history and the first time since 2011.