BANGOR, Maine – Castleton softball bounced back from an extra-innings loss in game one with a game-two victory to earn a doubleheader split against Husson today in its first North Atlantic Conference games of the season.

The Spartans, who are now 6-6 overall (1-1 NAC), dropped game one in eight innings by a final score of 3-2 before knocking off the seven-time defending champions by a score of 5-2 in the second game of the day. Husson is now 3-15 overall and 1-1 in NAC play.

Kayla Wood propelled Castleton to victory in the second game, striking out 12 batters in a complete-game effort while allowing just two hits. Jessica Babcock was 5-for-8 on the day with three runs scored, while Chelsea Grady and Timi Carone each went 3-for-8 over the course of the doubleheader.

Taylor Paquette turned in a 5.2-inning performance to earn a no decision, while Wood shouldered the loss in extra innings after 1.2 innings of work. Four different Spartans recorded a multi-hit game in the loss, as Brittany Brayman, Carone, Babcock and Grady all had two hits.

The game began as a pitchers' duel, as neither team could crack the score column until the fourth inning. A two-out base hit by Sami Cyr scored Lyndsay Merrill to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead after four innings of play.

Castleton answered back with a run of its own in the top of the fifth, when Sami Carlo reached on an error with two outs and came around to score when Carone smacked an RBI double to tie the game at 1-1.

After Castleton threatened but failed to score in the top of the sixth inning, Husson took the lead once more in the home half of the sixth. A single and a steal by Merrill gave the Eagles a runner in scoring position with just one out, and they capitalized as she came around to score to give her team a 2-1 lead going into the final frame.

Castleton was down to its final out when Babcock came to the plate and ripped a double, giving the Spartans the tying run in scoring position with two outs. Brayman stepped up to the plate after Babcock and tallied an RBI single to knot the game at 2-2 and force extra innings.

With the Spartans failing to score in the top of the eighth, Merrill wasted no time for the Eagles as she led off the inning with a run-scoring single, driving in the runner placed on second base via the international tie breaker and giving her team the victory.

In the second game, the Spartans got out to an early lead as they struck for a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Carone and Babcock each reached base to lead off the game before coming around to score to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.

Castleton would extend its lead to 3-0 in the third inning when Babcock led off with a base hit and scored on an RBI groundout by Grady. The Spartans would tack on another run in the fourth inning, as McKinlie Carpenter led off the inning with a single and came around to score on a single by Carone to make it 4-0.

Husson would crack the score column in the home half of the fourth, as they pushed across a pair of runs to make it 4-2. That was all Wood allowed for runs in the game, as she held the Eagles scoreless for the remainder of the day. Castleton added one final run in the fifth, when a leadoff base hit by Grady turned into a run on a sacrifice fly by Tori Swaine.

Castleton is back in action on Sunday, April 10, as it travels to Middlebury for a non-conference doubleheader. Game time is slated for 1 p.m.