WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – With a Game 2 victory, the Castleton softball team handed #3 Eastern Connecticut State its first loss of the season Friday afternoon at Washburne Field.
Makenna Thorne led the upset-minded Spartans with two hits and two RBIs, including a clutch bases-clearing double, while
Olivia Joy and
Katie Gallagher kept the Warrior offense in check.
EastConn 4, Castleton 2
The Spartans (13-9, 6-6 LEC) struck first thanks to
Allison Almond's second-inning single.
Devin Millerick led off the frame with a walk and was advanced by
Kayla Fac and
Jayna Ryan. Almond smacked a base hit to centerfield, allowing Millerick to cross the plate and give Castleton an early lead.
The advantage would hold until the fifth inning, when EastConn (21-1, 9-1 LEC) punched back with four runs. A double, two consecutive singles, and a Brooke Matyasovski home run gave the unbeaten Warriors a 4-1 lead.
With one more shot at starting pitcher Carley Stoker, Castleton put the tying run at the plate in the seventh inning.
Kate LaPan doubled after Ryan drew a walk to start things off. Ryan would later score on a sacrifice fly by
Jamie Boyle.
Stoker earned her 11th victory of the year in the circle while Gallagher took the loss, despite a strong performance against a high-octane Warrior lineup. Joy entered in relief, allowing one run with a pair of strikeouts to her credit.
Castleton 6, EastConn 5
With a thrilling Game 2 victory, the Spartans handed the Warriors their first loss in 22 games this season. Castleton claimed a 3-0 lead by the fifth, but clung to a one-run advantage heading into the sixth. A two-out single by Millerick would start the rally as
Kayla Fac and Ryan both followed with singles of their own. Thorne capped the inning with a bases-clearing double to give the visitors a 6-2 lead.
EastConn didn't go quietly. They tallied two runs in the final inning and had the tying run on third before Gallagher snagged a popped-up bunt and threw to LaPan covering third for the game-ending double play.
Castleton scored its first run of the game thanks to a single by Almond, her second RBI of the day. She would later score as Fac reached base on a fielding error. The Spartans expanded their lead to three after Boyle's fifth-inning sacrifice fly plated Thorne.
The Warriors picked up a pair of runs in the fifth to stay within striking distance, but the Spartans answered with a three-run rally just a half-inning later.
Thorne led the way offensively with two hits and a pair of RBIs. Castleton totaled eight hits to EastConn's 10.
Joy started the nightcap after relieving in Game 1. She pitched two scoreless innings, setting up Gallagher for the win. Earning her fifth victory, the freshman tossed the remaining five frames to seal the marquee victory.
The upset marked the first EastConn loss since May 26, 2019, when the Warriors lost to Emory in the NCAA Semifinals.
Next on the docket for the Spartans is a conference doubleheader at UMass Dartmouth on Monday, May 3.
