FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Castleton softball team picked up a 6-5 victory against Suffolk in its second game of the day on Thursday afternoon to earn a doubleheader split at the Gene Cusic Classic at the Century Link Sports Complex.

After dropping the first game of the day to UMass.-Dartmouth, the Spartans (1-1) earned a dramatic, 6-5, win after scoring a pair of runs on a Suffolk (5-3) throwing error in the top of the seventh inning.

Timi Carone was 5-7 on the day with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored, while Chelsea Grady was 2-5 with a walk, a run, and two RBI over the course of the two games. Katie Gagne earned the win in game two, going three-plus innings in relief and allowing two runs on four hits. Krista Carcaterra earned a save in her first career appearance, working a scoreless seventh inning to preserve the victory.

Castleton ran into a hot UMass.-Dartmouth (11-1) team in the first game of the day, as the Spartans fell 3-1 to the Corsairs. Taylor Paquette got the start in the season-opening contest, working six innings for a complete game, striking out five batters along the way. The sophomore allowed 10 hits and three earned runs on the day, taking the loss in her first start of the season.

Carone went 2-4 out of the leadoff spot in the first game, driving in the Spartans' only run in the seventh inning. Kristi Lawless also tallied two hits, while Tori Swaine went 1-3 with a double and a run scored.

Hannah Smith allowed six hits over seven innings of work for UMass.-Dartmouth, giving up just the one earned run while striking out nine Spartan hitters. Marissa Spinuzzi was a perfect 3-3 at the plate, driving in one run. Maddie O'Gryzek was 2-3 with a double and a run for the Corsairs, while Rachel Carey had a triple and a run scored.

UMass.-Dartmouth broke into the scoring column first, pushing across a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 2-0 lead. The Corsairs would tack on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to get out to a 3-0 lead going into the final frame.

Swaine led off the seventh with a double to center field, before Lawless sent a one-out single up the middle to give the Spartans runners at the corners and bring the tying run to the plate. After a foul out, Carone stepped up to the plate and smacked a single up the middle to score Swaine and put the tying run on first base, but Jessica Babcock would fly out to right field to end the game.

In game two, Castleton got out to an early lead, as Carone led off the game with a walk before scoring on an RBI single by Grady.

Suffolk would take over the lead in the third inning, when Morgan Parmeter drove in a pair of runs with a double. The Rams would tack on one more in the fourth inning, when Devlin Frost drove in a run with an RBI double of her own to give her team a 3-1 lead.

The Spartans would battle back and draw the game even at 3-3 in the top half of the fifth inning, when Brittany Brayman and Grady tallied back-to-back RBI singles to score Carone and Babcock, respectively.

After holding the Rams scoreless in the bottom of the fifth, Castleton took its second lead of the game in the top of the sixth when Sami Carlo drove in Swaine with a single. Suffolk would not surrender, scraping back for two runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth to regain the lead, 5-4. An RBI double down the right field line by Jill Pulek tied the game at 4-4, before a sacrifice fly by Madison Eucalitto drove in the go-ahead run to make it 5-4.

Trailing by a run entering the final frame, Castleton got a leadoff baserunner when Brayman reached on an error by the shortstop. Grady followed her with a walk, before a groundout by Gagne put runners at second and third with just one out, bringing Swaine to the plate with the go-ahead run on second base.

Swaine hit a ground ball back to the pitcher, who caught Brayman in a rundown. After tagging out the runner for the second out of the inning, the catcher fired the ball over the head of the third baseman and into the outfield, allowing both Grady and Swaine to score, giving Castleton a 6-5 lead.

After Gagne gave up a leadoff single in the top of the seventh, Carcaterra came on in relief for Castleton. Carcaterra induced a force out at second base for the first out, before a double play ended the game, giving the Spartans their first win of the season.

Cassidy Tedeschi received a no-decision, going three-plus innings and allowing three runs on six hits.

The Spartans are back in action tomorrow morning, when they face Wisconsin-Superior and Wooster. The first game is scheduled for a 9:00 a.m., with the second game slated for 11:00 a.m.