Castleton, VT – The Castleton State College softball team was swept by visiting Middlebury College in the team's home opener Wednesday evening, losing the opener 7-1 and falling in the nightcap 9-7 in a game shortened due to darkness.
Game One: Middlebury plated four runs in the top of the first inning, added one more in the fourth and two in the sixth to give starting pitcher Ali McAnaney plenty of run support in the complete-game win. McAnaney allowed just one unearned run on six hits and one walk while striking out three in the win.
Emily Burbridge started the game with a double to the right-centerfield gap, was sacrificed to third and later scored on Megan Margel's single to center. After Gina Constantin singled up the middle, Kristin Maletsky drove a two-run double to left field, quickly making it 3-0.
Castleton got a single run back in the third, when Amanda Gerstenmaier reached on an error, moved to second on Alicia Zraunig's single and scored on a single through the right side by Lydia McPerson.
Alyson Downing doubled and scored on an error for Middlebury in the fifth, and singled and scored on Amelia Magistrali's two-run single in the sixth. Constantin also collected a pair of hits, as did Burbridge.
Tosha Whittemore took the loss for Castleton, going the complete game and allowing seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits and one walk while striking out two. Zraunig added a double in the fifth inning to lead the Spartan offense.
Game Two: Natalie Komrovsky drove in three runs, tripling with the bases loaded and two outs, to key a five-run first inning as Middlebury improves to 8-6 on the season. The Panthers added four unearned runs in the fifth to escape with the sweep. Komrovsky came up with Kristin Maletsky (walk) on third, Kelsey Chisholm (single) on second and Sophie Dorot (walk) on first and crushed it to the right-centerfield gap, clearing the bases.
Castleton answered with two runs in the bottom of the first and three more in the third to tie the score at 5-5. Alicia Zraunig singled to centerfield and came home on Bridget Dusha's triple to right. Shannon Jipner then singled Dusha home. In the third, Jipner doubled home Lydia McPhereson who had doubled to start the inning. Jipner would later score on an error to tie the game.
Castleton grabbed a 7-5 lead in the fourth inning as Zraunig and McPherson each reached on one-out singles and were moved around by a pair of wild pitches, scoring Zraunig and putting McPherson on third. McPherson later scored on Jipner's grounder to third.
Middlebury answered with four unearned runs in the top of the fifth, and after holding Castleton scoreless, the game was called in the top of the sixth with two on and two outs due to darkness. Nellie Wood provided the big hit in the inning, a two-run homerun to right-centerfield that broke a 7-7 tie and earned the win.
Castleton's Hilary Bemis took the loss, going the distance and allowing nine runs (five earned) on six hits and 10 walks while striking out six for the 0-6 Spartans. McAnaney picked up the win in relief for Middlebury, pitching the final inning-and-two-thirds, and allowing one run on two hits and two strikeouts.
Castleton will travel to Southern Vermont College tomorrow afternoon for a 3:30 non-conference doubleheader. Middlebury will travel to Wesleyan for a single game Friday afternoon and a doubleheader Saturday in NESCAC action.
