CASTLETON, VT. – The Spartans face a tough test on Thursday as they travel to face RPI in a doubleheader beginning at 3 pm. 

Castleton is coming off a doubleheader split against Skidmore yesterday. The Spartans opened with a 3-2 victory over the Thoroughbreds but fell 2-1 in the second game as a last-inning rally fell short. Veronica Arnone earned the win in the circle and also belted a two-run homer to put the Spartans in front.

The Spartans haven't scored more than three runs in a game this year and are 1-3 overall. After yesterday's split they are batting .202 as a team with a .325 on-base percentage.  Brittany Brayman leads the way with a .500 average and .583 on-base percentage. Kristi Lawless is second on the team with four hits, while Jessica Babcock has two hits, including a triple yesterday. 

Castleton's pitching has been solid. Kayla Wood, Veronica Arnone, Katie Gagne and Cassidy Tedeschi all saw action yesterday and each has pitched at least 5.0 innings this year. Arnone owns a 1-0 record with a 1.40 ERA in 5.0 innings while Katie Gagne has a 1.40 ERA with seven strikeouts in 8.0 innings. 

RPI enters today with a 6-6 record and is playing its first home games of the year today. Morgan Ten Eyck leads the team with a .440 average, .517 on-base percentage and .720 slugging percentage. Tori Hunt is batting .417 with ten hits while Morgan Kollmeier is third on the team with a .371 averaging and a team-thigh six doubles. Jena Servidone is fourth on the team with a .370 average. 

In the circle, junior Kristina Waltzing is 4-2 with a 3.16 earned run average in eight appearances (four starts). She has allowed 20 runs (17 earned) on 36 hits in 37.2 innings with 30 strikeouts compared and 16 walks. Sophomore Victoria Hepworth (2-3) has a 3.82 earned run average in 29.1 innings with 22 strikeouts and just six walks. 

Last year Castleton dropped a pair of games at RPI. The Spartans fell 8-0 in the opener and then 6-3 in the second game. Kristi Lawless belted a par of doubles and drove in a run in the nightcap.