PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Castleton softball team split a doubleheader with Plymouth State on Sunday afternoon at D&M Park. A sixth-inning rally propelled Castleton to a Game 1 victory before falling in Game 2.
Castleton 7, Plymouth State 3
Castleton (6-2) faced a 2-0 deficit before catching fire during a seven-run sixth inning. Sending 11 batters to the plate, the Spartans tied the game and would soon take a commanding lead over the Panthers (5-5).
Machaila Arjavich started the rally with a one-out single. Then with two outs,
Devin Millerick ripped an RBI triple to left center, cutting the deficit in half.
Makenna Thorne then tied the game when she roped a line drive back at the pitcher and beat out the throw. After
Allison Almond reached base on an error,
Jayna Ryan singled and runners advanced on a mishandle by the right fielder. Castleton led 4-2 after Ryan's clutch two-out hit.
They weren't done yet, though, as
Jamie Boyle hit a ground-rule double to score Ryan and
Kate LaPan, who previously reached base with her third walk of the day. In her second at-bat of the inning,
Miranda Fish singled and tacked on two more.
Holding a 7-2 lead,
Olivia Bowen limited the Panther offense to earn her second win of the year. She pitched three and two-thirds innings, allowing only one hit, a solo shot in the seventh.
Katie Gallagher started the game after she garnered her first win one day prior. The freshman allowed two earned runs in just over three innings and struck out two.
At the plate, Castleton totaled nine hits, six of which came in the sixth inning. Arjavich and Boyle each boasted multi-hit performances while Fish led the team with two RBIs.
Plymouth State 6, Castleton 0
The Panthers raced out to a 6-0 lead in the first three innings of Game 2 and didn't look back. A three-run second inning put Castleton in a five-run hole as Emily Picard knocked in two runs followed by RBIs from Vanessa Bryan and Jen Landers.
The Spartans had an opportunity to score in the second inning after Thorne led off with a triple. It marked her second three-bagger of the season, which ranks second in the conference.
Hannah Mosher slapped her second double of the year in the sixth inning.
Plymouth State's Alexis Michon went the distance in the circle and earned the win. Bowen and Gallagher each pitched in relief for Castleton and slowed down the Panther bats over the final five innings. Gallagher allowed no runs, one hit, and struck out three in two innings.
The two conference foes will meet again on Tuesday afternoon in Castleton. Game 1 of the doubleheader is scheduled for 3 p.m.
