CASTLETON, Vt. - The Castleton softball team dropped a pair of conference games to Plymouth State Tuesday afternoon at Spartan Field. A late rally nearly shifted Game in the Spartans' favor, but the Panthers took a 3-2 victory after their 7-2 Game 1 triumph. 

Plymouth State 7, Castleton 2

The Panthers (7-5) jumped out to a 6-0 lead before Castleton (6-4) got on the board. The Spartans scored on an RBI single by Allison Almond in the second inning. Jayna Ryan followed it up with another base-knock, putting Castleton within four runs. Plymouth State tacked on another in the fifth. 

The Panthers' six-run second frame started with a solo home run by Sam McCann. Lauren Archambault, Madison Harris, and Emily Picard each contributed RBI singles in the rally. 

Olivia Joy went the distance in the circle for Castleton, allowing seven runs on 10 hits. Caitlyn Miller tossed a complete game for Plymouth State.

Plymouth State 3, Castleton 2

Looking to salvage a doubleheader split, the Spartan bats came alive late. Plymouth State scored a run in each of the first three innings to put Castleton in a 3-0 hole. The Spartans trimmed the deficit to one in the sixth after Machaila Arjavich plated Hannah Mosher with a single, followed by a Jamie Boyle double to score pinch runner Erin Ricks.

Needing one to tie and two to win, Castleton had the winning run on first base. Ryan drew a two-out walk before Kate LaPan singled. Looking to tie the game with a runner in scoring position, Mosher battled through a long at-bat before flying out to left field. 

LaPan led the way offensively, going 2-for-4. Castleton totaled five hits as a team. 

Katie Gallagher's performance in relief of Olivia Bown held the Panthers scoreless over the final four innings. She allowed four hits and struck out three. 

Castleton hits the road on Saturday, April 17 for a conference doubleheader against UMass. Boston.