CASTLETON, Vt. – Colby-Sawyer starting pitcher Brendan Harding (Medford, Mass.) held the Spartans scoreless over the final eight innings, earning a complete-game win as the fourth-seeded Chargers downed number-one Castleton State College 7-2 in the opener of the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) East Division Baseball Tournament at Spartan Field.

Harding allowed two first-inning runs, scattering five hits and walking two while striking out four to improve to 2-4 on the season.

Dakota Aker (Schenectady, N.Y.) took the loss, going five innings and allowing seven earned runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out six. Freshman Derek Osborne (Springfield, Vt.) came on and pitched four scoreless innings of relief allowing just one hit while striking out three.  

With two outs in the first Castleton plated a pair of runs as Joe Borowski (Schenectady, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch, stole second and came around to score on a Zak Mayo (Avon, Conn.) single. After Mayo stole second Pete Wagner (Brattleboro, Vt.) placed a looping line drive in front of rightfielder Jon Wylie (Middleboro, Mass.) that brought Mayo around to score. Harding then got Wagner leaning off first base too far, extinguishing the rally.

Colby-Sawyer tied it in the third as Rob Wallace (Tewksbury, Mass.) and Kyle Greenwood (Lyndonville, Vt.) each singled to start the inning and later moved up on a wild pitch. Back-to-back RBI-groundouts to second by Wylie and Sean Gavin (Keene, N.H.) brought both around to score. Greg Mehuron (Waitsfield, Vt.) and Tyler Stotz (Amesbury, Mass.) kept the inning going with singles but Aker settled in a struck out Andy Lapple (Newtown, Conn.) to end the inning.

The Chargers erupted for five runs in the fifth as the first seven batter reached safely to start the inning. Mehuron and Stoz both brought home a run with bases-loaded singles up the middle, and Lapple followed with a two-run single through the left side. After a fielder's choice put runners on first and third with one out, Jake Szulak (Middleboro, Mass.) dropped down a perfect squeeze bunt to bring home another run.

Castleton put the leadoff runner on in both the sixth and seventh innings, but both times Harding was able to induce a double play to work out the jam. The Spartans threatened again with two runners on in the eighth and ninth innings; but Mehuron made a diving play up the middle to extinguish the rally in the eighth, and Harding finished the game with his fourth strikeout.

Gavin, Mehuron and Stotz each collected two hits and an RBI to pace the Charger offense while Wagner went 3-for-4 with an RBI to lead Castleton.

Colby-Sawyer moves to the winner's bracket of the double-elimination tournament at 19-20 while Castleton will have to advance through the loser's bracket at 26-14. The Chargers will play the winner of Game two tomorrow at 12 pm, while Castleton will face the loser at 9 am.