The Hamilton College Continentals wrapped up a three-game NESCAC West Division series with a doubleheader split against the Middlebury College Panthers at Hamilton's Loop Road Softball Complex on Saturday afternoon.

The Continentals (25-8, 7-5 NESCAC West) ended the first game in five innings by the eight-run mercy rule with an 18-6 win, and Middlebury won the nightcap 6-4.

Hamilton won Friday night's game 8-7 to take the series. The Continentals won three of their four divisional series' this season, guaranteeing them the West Division's second seed in the NESCAC championship hosted by Tufts University from May 3 to May 5.

The Continentals travel to local rival Utica College for a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday, April 23 at 5:30 p.m.

Game One: Hamilton 18, Middlebury 6 (5 innings)

Middlebury (12-12, 4-5) scored two runs in the opening inning after a one-out walk and two-run homer to center field by Melanie Mandell.

Hamilton quickly took the lead with eight runs on seven hits and one error in the bottom of the first. Highlights of the inning were consecutive hits by Emily Fraser '20, Kendall Searcy '20 and Helen Lin '19. Fraser's run-scoring double was her 32nd run batted in this season for a program record. Fraser previously shared the record with Sam Miller '14 and Janet Kiss '86. Searcy's run-scoring single to left field was the team's record-breaking 301st hit this season, and Lin recorded the program-best 17th triple with a rope into the right-field corner.

The Panthers got within two runs at 8-6 with a four-run fourth on a double, three singles, two walks, a sacrifice fly and an error.

Hamilton responded with another monster inning in the bottom of the fourth. Lin got it started with one out on a double off the fence in left field. Liz Brautigam '19 reached on an infield throwing error, allowing both her and Lin to advance another base. Jodi Weiss '19 dropped down a squeeze bunt to score Lin from third. The Continentals added nine more runs with help from three hits, three walks and four errors. Anna Rasmussen '21 ended the scoring by blasting a pinch-hit three-run double to left center.

Morgan Hartranft '22 came on in relief in the fourth inning with the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate and earned her fifth save of the season. Hartranft snagged a sharp grounder back to the pitching circle for the final out of the inning.

Lin was perfect at the plate with a triple, a double, two walks, three runs batted in and three runs scored. Ashleah Yzaguirre '19 went 2-for-4 with three runs batted in, and Caroline Chivily '19 and Searcy drove in two runs apiece.

Game Two: Middlebury 6, Hamilton 4

Courtney Cardea '22, Lin and Rasmussen all went 2-for-3 at the plate. Rasmussen notched her second and third doubles of day with three runs batted in, and Lin tallied her second double of the twinbill.

After a leadoff walk, Middlebury's Mandell knocked a run-scoring double for a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Panthers added five more runs in the third on five hits and three walks and took the lead for good at 6-3.

Hamilton came back with three runs in the second. Three straight singles by Searcy, Lin and Cardea loaded the bases for Rasmussen who laced a bases-clearing double to right center.

Caitlin Berreitter '20 led off the fifth with a line-drive double to left center and came around to score on back-to-back groundouts, but Hamilton was held scoreless for the remainder of the game.