Lyndonville, Vt. - The Spartans rolled out of Lyndonville with two wins on Saturday, Apr. 27, beating the Lyndon State Hornets 7-3 and 12-1 to improve their North Atlantic Conference record to 22-2 on the year.

Tyler Lord went 2-for-4 from the plate in game one with an RBI and a run scored, while Matt McNamee raked three hits in game two, driving in one run and scoring once. Derek Osborne allowed just three runs (two earned) and struck out seven in game one while Patrick Riley threw a gem in game two, allowing just three hits and an earned run.

In the first contest, Castleton scored all seven runs in the first three innings, putting up two in the first, three in the second, and two more in the third. Connor Hoagland created both of the Spartans' first inning runs. The third baseman reached on an error that allowed Ryan Zielinski to score, and then entered into a run-down that allowed Joe Borowski to score from third base.

In the second inning, Castleton scored on an RBI single from Lord. With the bases loaded, Joe Borowski drove in a run on a groundout, followed by an RBI single from Hoagland to put the Spartans up 5-0. In the bottom of the frame, the Hornets put up their first run on a Castleton error to cut the lead to 5-1.

The next inning, Castleton responded with two more runs. Right fielder Allen White clubbed his third home run of the year, driving in Macyn Clifford to put the Spartans up 7-1. 

The Spartans held their six run lead until the bottom of the sixth when Quinn Rambo hit a two-run double that cut the lead to 7-3, but Osborne kept the Hornets from getting any more by forcing Robert Trucott to pop out to end the inning.

Osborne threw six innings, allowing two earned runs on ten hits, while striking out seven Hornets and earning the win. Matt Ravey came in to throw the seventh, allowing one hit before forcing a game-ending double play. Mason Brewer took the loss for Lyndon State, allowing six earned runs on eight hits.

In game two, Patrick Riley silenced the Lyndon bats, throwing a complete game three-hitter. The Hornets scored their only run on an RBI groundout by Robert Trucott in the bottom of the third inning. Riley struck out just one batter, but earned his sixth win of the season.

The Spartans ripped 11 hits, scoring 12 runs in the second game. The visiting squad jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning. Freshman Zachary Hatin struggled to control his pitches, allowing two walks in the frame. Macyn Clifford and Kyle O'Brey each scored on passed balls to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead. Ryan Zielinski reached on an error that allowed Cameron Curler to score, and then got in a pickle that brought home Mat Pause.

Macyn Clifford added to the tally with an RBI groundout in the top of the fifth, followed by an RBI double from Allen White, and an RBI single by Curler to make it 7-1. In the final two frames, Castleton added five more runs, extending their lead to 12-1.

With the wins, Castleton posts their best conference record (22-2) since 2009 when the team finished 15-1 against conference opponents. The Spartans will take to the field again on Sunday, Apr. 28 when they travel to Plattsburgh State for a pair of non-conference contests against the Cardinals.