Rindge, N.H. - The Spartans used timely hitting, aggressive baserunning, and stellar pitching to earn a pair of victories over North Atlantic Conference foes Lyndon St., downing the Hornets 5-1 and 4-2 on Thursday night in Rindge, N.H.

Joe Borowski went 2-for-4 on the day, Matt McNamee went 2-for-6 with an RBI, Allen White drove in two runs, and Tyler Lord stole a total of three bases, including a swipe of home, to lead the Spartans to a pair of wins.

In game one, Castleton handed the ball to Conner Johnson, hoping that the sophomore would mow through the Hornets' lineup. Johnson did just that, shutting down the Lyndon St. offense, limiting them to just one run on four scattered hits. Johnson allowed five walks, but fanned seven on his way to the victory. 

The Castleton offense managed just six hits on the night, but manufactured runs using some clutch hitting and crafty baserunning to earn the victory over Lyndon. Joe Borowski led the way with a pair of hits, while Allen White went 1-for-2 with a pair of RBI.

The Spartans got on board in the first when White and Borowski combined to bring home a run. White drew a walk, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. Borowski singled up the middle on a full count to make it 1-0.

Castleton added a run in the bottom of the third to go up 2-0. Taylor Vile reached on an error, followed by a bunt single from Tyler Lord. Allen White drove in Vile with a sacrifice fly that made it 2-0. 

The Spartans were held scoreless until the bottom of the sixth when the squad exploded for three runs. Nate Swahn and Taylor Vile each drew walks, and then converted a double-steal on a first-and-third play, with Vile taking second and Swahn swiping home to go up 3-0. After another walk drawn by Tyler Lord, Vile came around to score on a wild pitch. Allen White singled up the middle to bring home Lord for the final run of the inning, putting the Spartans ahead 5-0. 

In the top of the seventh, Lyndon brought in a run on a wild pitch, but it was the only blemish against Johnson as he pitched a gem to lead the Spartans to their fourth straight conference win.

In game two, three Castleton newcomers combined to shut down the Lyndon offense and earn a 4-2 win. Devin Hayes got the start, throwing four innings and allowing just one run. Robert Gould came in to pitch the fifth and sixth innings, allowing one run on three hits, and T.J. Fearon earned the save, allowing just one hit in a scoreless seventh.

Castleton jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Taylor Vile led off with a single, followed by a walk drawn by Tyler Lord. With runners on first and second, Allen White laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners, and Joe Borowski drew another walk to load the bases. The Spartans went ahead 1-0 on a wild pitch, moving all three runners. After a lineout, Castleton's Tyler Lord converted a straight steal of home plate, beating the ball to the plate to put the Spartans ahead 2-0. On the next pitch, Matt McNamee drove in Borowski with a single to put the Spartans up 3-0.

The Hornets responded with a run in the top of the fourth. Tyler Pelletier ripped a leadoff double and was driven in by Mike Cartularo when he stroked a single. Freshman Devin Hayes walked the bases loaded, but was able to get out of the jam by forcing Kevin Tufo into a harmless popout to second base.

In the fifth, the Hornets continued to cut into the Castleton lead, scoring a run on three hits. Kyle Whitworth and Devon Rollins linked back-to-back singles, and then Cartularo drove in a run with a double down the left field line, making it 3-2. Gould worked out of the jam by forcing a lineout to center and a groundout to shortstop to close out the inning.

Castleton added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, manufacturing a run off of a leadoff double by McNamee. The designated hitter ripped the ball down the left field line for a double, advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt, and then came in to score on an RBI groundout by Macyn Clifford. The score made it 4-2 going into the top of the seventh, where Fearon came in to close out the game.

The Spartans manufactured nine total runs on the day on just 10 hits. Castleton was menacing on the basepaths all day though, stealing 11 total bases in the two games combined. The Spartan pitching staff tossed a combined 14.0 innings, allowing just three runs on 10 hits. 

Castleton improves to 8-4 on the year including a 5-0 mark to begin their conference schedule. The team will begin a four-game series with Maine-Farmington on Friday, April 4 at 9:30am in Rindge, N.H. at Franklin Pierce University.