Henniker, N.H. - The Spartans inched closer to the regular season North Atlantic Conference crown with a pair of road victories over New England College on Tuesday. Castleton scored twice in the top of the seventh to steal a 5-3 win in game one, and dominated the Pilgrims in game two to earn a 6-1 victory.

Steven Jurkiewicz tossed 6.1 innings in game one, allowing just three runs on six hits. Castleton closer T.J. Fearon came into the game in the seventh to shut down the final two NEC batters to earn the save. Matt McNamee drove in the game-winning run and Ryan Crowley added an important insurance tally with an RBI double in the seventh.

In game two, the Spartans turned to Samuel Spencer to quiet the Pilgrim bats. The sophomore did just that, allowing one run on five hits and striking out four through seven innings to earn the complete game win. Joe Borowski lifted a solo home run to lead the Castleton offense to the 6-1 win.

In game one the Spartans jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. After Allen White and Borowski set the table by reaching base, Dan Errico slapped a two-run double down the left field line giving the Spartans an early lead. The squad added a third run when Tyler Lord drove in Chaz Millet in the top of the second to go ahead 3-0.

New England College crawled back into the game, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth and a third in the bottom of the fifth to tie the score. Vincent Backert, Jordan Hubbard, and Scott Fortune each drove in a run as the Pilgrims got to Jurkiewicz to tie the game.

With the game tied entering the seventh inning, Castleton scored a pair of runs to take the lead. White and Borowski each reached to lead off the inning. Two batters later they advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. McNamee then hit a chopper to shortstop that drove in White, but Borowski was cut down at third for the second out. With two down and a runner on first, Crowley stepped in and ripped a double to left field, driving in McNamee from first, making it 5-3.

In the bottom of the seventh Jurkiewicz and Fearon combined to shut down the NEC offense, retiring the Pilgrims in order to close out the game and earn the 5-3 win.

In game two, Castleton jumped on the Pilgrims in the first inning again. The Spartans scored two runs in the first frame, capitalizing on a throwing error, to take a 2-0 lead. That was all the run support that Spencer would need, as he mowed through the NEC lineup for six innings. 

The Spartans added a run in the fifth on a solo shot from Borowski to right center, and tacked on two more in the top of the seventh. Millet drove in Jackson Musco on a sacrifice fly and Nate Swahn ripped a ball that brought in Dan Errico on an NEC error. 

With a 6-0 lead, the Spartans let Spencer close out the game. The Pilgrims finally got to the sophomore, scoring one run in their final at-bat. Jordan Hubbard drove in Steve DeLuca with a single that counted for the Pilgrims only run of the day. Spencer closed out the game by snagging a liner right back at him and doubling up the base-runner at first.

Castleton improves to 21-8 on the season with an 18-3 mark within the NAC. The Spartans remain a game ahead of Husson in the conference standings and hold the head-to-head advantage in a tiebreaker scenario. If the Spartans earn just one win out of their two games against NEC on Thursday, they will clinch top seed and the right to host the conference tournament for the third consecutive season.