GREENFIELD, N.Y. – The Castleton baseball team got hot late in their road matchup against Skidmore College Wednesday night, scoring seven runs in a three-inning span to draw level with the Thoroughbreds, finishing the game tied at nine before it was called due to darkness and cold.
 
Freshman Tyler McLain continued his impressive stretch of games Wednesday, putting together a multi-hit effort for the third time in four contests, going 2-5 and racking up a career-best four RBIs in the tie. Hunter Perkins, meanwhile, extended his hit-streak to 13 after going 1-3 on the evening.
 
On the mound, Stephen Coffey made the start for the Spartans (5-8-1, 0-2 LEC), allowing six runs — five earned — through three innings of work before Castleton's bullpen combined to allow just three runs over the remaining six innings.
 
Skidmore (12-2-1, 1-1 LL) got on the board first in Wednesday's night cap, taking a 3-0 lead in the second inning off a wild pitch and two RBI singles. A sac fly from the Spartans' Carson Mosher made it a two-score game after three, but a five-run outburst from the Thoroughbreds in the fourth inning made the score 8-1. Castleton responded well, however, scoring four runs in the top of the fifth to cut the lead back to just three.
 
Hunter Perkins and Mosher got things started for the Spartans, both drawing walks to set up McLain with two men on. Extending his hitting streak to five games, the freshman ripped a double to right field, scoring both runners to make it an 8-3 game.
 
A single and stolen base from Jake O'Brien set runners up at second and third before consecutive errors — first a wild pitch followed by a throwing error — sent McLain and the junior home to cut the deficit to three. After a scoreless sixth, the Spartans went to work once again, scoring three runs in the seventh the level the game at eight.

Castleton kicked off the inning with back-to-back singles from Reece de Castro — his 11^th straight game with a hit — and Mosher before McLain came up big once again with his second 2-RBI double of the afternoon. A grounder from O'Brien scored the freshman one at-bat later, meaning the game was level heading into the eighth inning.
 
After spending much of the game down, Castleton took their first lead of the night in the top of the inning thanks to a sac fly from de Castro to make it a 9-8 game, but a solo homerun from Skidmore's Jackson Hornung in the bottom of the inning leveled the game once again at nine.
 
Neither side got much going in the ninth before the game was called due to darkness, handing both teams their first tie of the season.
 
The Spartans are back in action this weekend as they take on UMass Boston in a double header Saturday, April 2, with opening pitch set for 2 p.m.