WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- Riddled with fielding mistakes in the first inning, the Castleton University baseball team dropped a 13-3 seven-inning decision to Union College Friday morning at the Chain O' Lakes Sports Complex. With the loss, the Spartans finish their Florida trip falling to 4-3 while the Dutchman improve to 3-0.

With Davis Mikell on the mound to start the game for the Spartans, he breezed through the first two batters, earning two strikeouts on nine pitches. From there, Mikell gave up a long double to Sean Cullen followed by a six-pitch walk to Kevin Chainmowitz. With two on and two outs, Elias Kuhns hit a chopper towards first base that was misread and the Dutchman took a 1-0 lead. Three Spartan errors and a hit by pitch plated five more runs in the inning as the Dutchman took a commanding 6-0 lead through the first half-inning of play. 

The Spartans kickstarted a rally in the bottom half of the first inning as Jeremy Johnson earned a leadoff walk. Mikell followed up with a five-pitch walk, putting two runners on with no outs. After Johnson stole third, Evan Keegan drove in the Spartans' first run on a fielding error by the second baseman. The Spartans cut the deficit in half after Alex Borsari and Reece De Castro worked two-straight bases-loaded walks.

Holding onto a 6-3 lead heading into the second inning of play, the Dutchman tacked on three more runs. After two recorded walks with one out to start the inning, Chris O'Brien ripped a pinch-hit two-RBI double to the left center field wall, giving the Dutchman an 8-3 lead. O'Brien would score two batters later as Chris Symington tripled to right-center field.

The Dutchman scored three more runs in the fourth inning and one more in the fifth inning, solidifying the seven-inning rout. 

Castleton returns to action Friday, March 6 as it travels to Galloway Township, N.J. to take on Stockton University with a first pitch scheduled for 2:30 p.m.