Castleton, Vt. - The Spartans earned a sweep of North Atlantic Conference opponent Lyndon State on Wednesday, Apr. 17, beating the Hornets 8-1 in game one and 3-0 in game two.

Patrick Riley and Matt Ravey both turned in stellar pitching performances for the Spartans, with Riley earning the win on the mound in game one and Ravey getting the win in game two. Ryan Zielinski finished the day with a 4-for-6 performance over both games, while Tyler Lord and Mat Pause each notched two RBI to lead the squad.

In game one, Castleton jumped out to an early lead, scoring four runs in the bottom of the second inning. With the bases loaded, Pause ripped a two-run single to left field, making the score 2-0. The next batter, Lord, skied a ball to center field, where Lyndon's Ian Sackett lost the ball in the sun, allowing Lord to reach with a double and two runs to score, putting Castleton up 4-0.

The Hornets answered with their only run of the day in the top of the third, putting runners on the corners for Devon Rollins. The shortstop found a hole in the Spartan infield, lacing the ball to right field to bring home Quinn Rambo to make the score 4-1. 

The Spartans put a run up in the bottom of the fourth in a first-and-third situation where Zielinski stole second and Pause stole home before the relay to the plate could catch him. The swipe put the Spartans up 5-1.

Castleton tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Cameron Curler came around to score on a throwing error by the Lyndon shortstop. Zielinski drove in a run with an RBI single, and then came around to score on a double to the left-center gap off the bat of Joe Borowski. The three-run inning put the Spartans up 8-1.

Patrick Riley threw six innings, allowing just one earned run on four hits for his fourth win of the season. The senior struck out five Hornets while allowing three walks. Ethan Hanson pitched the final inning for the Spartans, allowing one hit and no runs.

In game two, Matt Ravey silenced the Lyndon State bats. The sophomore retired the first 14 batters he faced before surrendering a two-out single in the top of the fifth as Michael Catularo broke up his bid for a perfect game. Ravey finished with a complete game shutout, hurling seven innings while allowing just five hits and striking out two.

All three of Castleton's runs crossed the plate on wild pitches. Macyn Clifford scored the first run for the Spartans, ripping a two-out double in the bottom of the second. The junior advanced to third on an errant pick-off attempt and scored on a wild pitch to put the Spartans up 1-0.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Spartans added a pair of insurance runs as Lyndon State starter Mason Brewer found himself struggling with his control. Brewer loaded the bases with a walk and a pair of hit batsmen. Two Spartans crossed the plate on consecutive wild pitches to give the Spartans a 3-0 lead, which they held in the seventh.

Despite his lack of control, Brewer pitched well for the Hornets, going six innings, allowing two earned runs on just five hits and striking out five Spartans.  

With the sweep, Castleton improves to 16-7 on the season and 14-2 in NAC play. The Spartans will travel to New London, N.H. to take on the Colby-Sawyer Chargers in a doubleheader on Thursday, Apr. 18.