CASTLETON, Vt. -- The Castleton University baseball team earned a doubleheader split against UMass-Dartmouth Friday afternoon in a Little East Conference (LEC) showdown at Spartans Field.
UMass Dartmouth 13, Castleton 6
The Corsairs (2-6, 2-4 LEC) came out of the gates swinging as JR DiSarcina led off the game with a single to left field off of starting pitcher Max Olmsted. After two straight putouts by Evan Keegan at first base, Mike Knell cracked a long home run over the left-field fence, giving the Corsairs a 2-0 lead.
The Spartans (4-4, 3-1 LEC) would answer quickly in the bottom half of the first inning. Hunter Perkins led off the Spartans' rally with an infield single, followed by a Reece de Castro double to center field. After Keegan earned a walk, Samuel Rodriguez reached base on a fielder's choice as Perkins crossed home plate, cutting the deficit to 2-1. De Castro would tie the game shortly after a failed pickoff attempt by starting pitcher Ryan Bruning. Adam Newton secured the lead for the Spartans during the next at-bat as his single to right field scored Rodriguez from second base.
The Corsairs regained the lead, however, in the top half of the fourth inning as Tyler Lyons ripped a two-run home run over the left-field fence, giving the Corsairs a 4-3 advantage.
Facing a deficit once again, the Spartans fought back in the bottom half of the fourth inning. After Johnny McComas struck out swinging, Addison Schaub recorded his first hit of the season, a bloop single to third base. Perkins would later be hit by a pitch and de Castro earned a walk, loading the bases with two outs on the board. In the next at-bat, Keegan cracked a single through the right side of the infield, scoring both Schaub and Perkins as the Spartans regained the lead.
The Corsairs took the lead for good in the top half of the fifth inning as both Erik Ramirez and Knell powered long home runs over the left-field fence to give the team a 7-5 advantage.
Matthew Deen entered the game for Olmsted in the top half of the inning as the Corsairs continued to lead 7-5. Moreno led off the inning with a single to left field, followed by a Lyons double to left field. With runners on second and third with no outs, Ramirez added an RBI single to center field, extending the lead to 8-5. The Corsairs tallied three more runs in the inning and led 11-5 after six full frames before adding two more runs in the eighth and ninth innings.
The Spartans' rally came up short despite a sixth run in the bottom half of the ninth inning. De Castro led off the inning with a sharp single up the middle and then scored on a long double to center field by Keegan during the next at-bat.
Olmsted would be credited with the loss in game one of the doubleheader as he pitched five innings, giving up seven runs on six hits while striking out four batters. Shane Reardon earned the win in relief for the Corsairs as he pitched three strong innings, allowing just one hit and striking out five batters.
Castleton 6, UMass Dartmouth 5 (10 innings)
After suffering a blowout loss in game one of the doubleheader, the Spartans once again faced a deficit at the start of game two. The Corsairs led off the top half of the first inning with a DiSarcina single to right field. After a passed ball and a fly-out advanced DiSarcina to third base, DJ Perron grounded out to second base as the Corsairs took the early 1-0 lead.
The Spartans regained the lead in the bottom half of the first inning as Keegan ripped a three-run home run over the left-field fence, giving the team a 3-1 advantage. Keegan had a career series as he finished the doubleheader with five hits, which included a double and a home run, tallied six RBI's, and scored two runs.
Starting pitcher Zack Marlow kept the Corsairs at bay until the top half of the fourth inning as the team scored two runs to cut the Spartans' lead to 5-3. Knell led off the inning with a double down the left-field line and then advanced to third base on a wild pitch. Mitch Baker followed up with a two-run home run over the center-field fence as the Corsairs began to chip away at the deficit.
The Corsairs cut the Spartans' lead to one in the sixth inning as Knell once again led off the top half of the inning with a double down the left-field line. He would score to cut the Spartans' lead to 5-4 as Baker singled to left field during the next at-bat.
With the Spartans clinching to a one-run lead during the sixth inning, Marlow exited the game as Trevor Corlew worked out of a jam to preserve the lead.
Strong pitching and defense were key throughout the next few innings as neither team was able to score. Corlew continued to pitch for the Spartans as he finished his best outing of the season, pitching 3.2 innings, allowing just three hits while striking out seven batters.
The Corsairs, however, tied the game in the top half of the ninth inning as Ramirez scored from third base on a passed ball, leveling the score at five.
As the game entered extra innings, Riley Orr pitched a stellar inning to keep the Corsairs off the board in the top half of the 10th inning. Orr, who picked up his second win of the season, allowed just one walk in his one inning of action.
The Spartans won the game in the bottom half of the 10th inning as Perkins led off with a hit by pitch. De Castro followed that up with a single to right field. As Robbie Carrillo enter the game for the Corsairs, Keegan was walked to intentionally load the bases. After two straight strikeouts by Jeremy Johnson and Rodriguez, Newton singled to center as Perkins scored the winning run.
 Castleton returns to action Saturday, April 10, as it will travel to North Dartmouth, Mass. to take on UMass Dartmouth in a non-conference matchup. The first pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m.
