Lyndonville, Vt. – Castleton softball received a pair of strong pitching performances from seniors Taylor Lively and Emily Sweeney to earn a sweep of Lyndon on Friday afternoon, winning 2-0 and 2-1. 

The two seniors kept Hornets hitters off balance off day, allowing just six hits over 14 innings of action to improve to 13-19 on the season and 10-4 in the North Atlantic Conference. Lyndon drops to 3-11 overall and 7-21 in conference play. 

Lively started the first game and was dominant, tossing a one-hitter while striking eight in 7.0 innings. She gave up a single to the first batter she faced but then allowed just three more Hornets to reach base, all by walk, none of which got past second. The win was her eighth of the season. 

Castleton scored its first run of the game on a solo home run by Jessica Babcock in the third inning. The Spartans gave Lively some breathing room in the fifth, as Babcock drove home Chelsea Crehan with an RBI single. 

Babcock finished 3-for-4 in the contest while Brittany Brayman and Kristy Pinkham each had two hits. 

In Friday's second game, Sweeney took the ball. After getting out of the first she helped  her own cause with an RBI triple in the top of the second, scoring Tori Fearon who led off the frame with a single. 

The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth. Taylor Young singled with one out and eventually scored on an error by catcher Brittany Brayman, tying the game 1-1. 

Castleton responded in the next frame. Chelsea Grady led off with a walk. Kayla Daigle came in to run and advanced to second on a groundout. Following a fly out, Crehan came home with an RBI single for the 2-1 lead. 

Sweeney allowed just one hit over the final two innings to earn the victory. Overall she gave up five hits and struck out one while walking two. Crehan finished 2-for-3 in the contest. 

The Spartans return to action on Saturday when they face Johnson at 1 pm in Castleton.