CASTLETON, Vt. – Taylor Lively (Greenfield, Mass.) struck out 14 Badgers en route to a complete-game shutout as second-seeded Castleton downed seventh-seeded Johnson State College 3-0 in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Softball quarterfinal action.

Lively scattered five hits and walked none, outdueling Johnson State starter Meagan Russ (Burlington, Vt.) to advance to the double-elimination, four-team tournament hosted by top-seed Husson University this weekend.

Russ allowed two earned runs on six hits, while striking out four. Both pitchers worked themselves in and out of trouble, but it was Lively who avoided the big inning, coming up with a strikeout seemingly every time she needed one.  

Both teams put a runner on third in their respective third inning at-bats, but neither team could push the runner home as both pitchers worked out of trouble.

Madeline Pritchard (North Clarendon, Vt.) got on base the hard way to lead off the Badger third, as she was struck on the hand by a Lively pitch. A pair of sacrifice bunts moved Pritchard to third with two outs, but Lively bared down and came up with her sixth strikeout of the game to end the threat.

Chelsea Crehan (Essex, Conn.) led off the bottom half of the inning with a triple down the leftfield line past the dive of Erica Pustari (North Haven, Conn.), but Russ settled in to retire the next three Spartans in order, stranding Crehan at third.

Pustari singled with two outs in the fourth, but once again Lively answered, inducing a pop out to third base which Margy Kerschner (Vergennes, Vt.) handled for the final out. Castleton broke through in the bottom of the fourth as Shannon Jipner (Bristol, Vt.) singled to lead things off and was retired on a fielder's choice by Mercedes Maltbie (Warrensburg, N.Y.). Maltbie later came around to score on a dropped fly ball with two outs, as Russ had once again appeared to work her way out of trouble.

After another clean inning by Lively, Castleton broke through for a pair of runs in the fifth, but Russ was able to limit the damage and keep the Badgers in the game. Crehan doubled to leftfield and Kristy Pinkham (Brandon, Vt.) reached on a fielder's choice, moving to third on the throw home to start things off. Caylee Fleury (Barre, Vt.) dropped a two-run single into shallow leftfield, Tori Fearon (Colchester, Conn.) reached on an error and Jipner was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Russ then retired the next three Spartans she faced without allowing another run.

Amber McCullock (Morrisville, Vt.) led of the Badger sixth with a single down the leftfield line, and Maria Gleason (Enosburg Falls, Vt.) followed with a bunt single placed perfectly just past the pitcher's circle. Lively then took matters into her own hands, striking out the two Badgers she faced and inducing a ground out to Jipner at first to get out of harm's way.

Crehan finished 3-for-3 with a triple, double and single to pace the Spartan offense.

Johnson State's season ends at 9-25-1, while Castleton advances at 21-14.

The Spartans will play New England College on Friday at 12 noon. New England College earned the third seed in the tournament, and advanced by way of a 5-3 win over University of Maine at Farmington.