Medford, Mass. - The Colby Softball team matched up against Middlebury College in the NESCAC Quarterfinals early Saturday morning. The Mules came into the NESCAC Championship tournament ranked #3 in the East Division facing off against the second seed in the West. The Mules reached the conference tournament for the first time since 2003. 
 
The Panthers were able to jump out to an early lead, plating a pair of runs in the first and adding another in the second.  Colby responded in the top of the third inning when Amanda Cabral pushed across Colby's first run of the day with a sacrifice fly, scoring Ashley Ketchum.  After three innings, the Mules were going toe-to-toe with the Panthers, with both lineups producing four hits apiece. 

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Middlebury extended their lead off a grand slam by Noelle Ruschil.  
 
The Mules added a run in the seventh inning after Jackie Hill ripped a double to right field, scoring Logan Luebbe, but Middlebury was able to induce the final out to take the victory 7-2, advancing to the semifinal round. Colby totaled eight hits on the day, with Cabral and Hill leading the way with two hits apiece. Abby Orso and Sam Ahlholm combined to strike out five Panthers.
 
Colby ends their season with 19 wins, the most wins posted by a Colby Softball team since NESCAC tournament play began in 2001, and the first time the Mules tallied a winning record since 2009 (18-11 record).