PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Castleton baseball team continued their current road trip with a conference matchup against Plymouth State Saturday afternoon, claiming Game 1 12-2 before dropping the nightcap 10-0 to earn the split.
Game 1: Castleton 12, Plymouth State 2
The Spartans (8-18-1, 2-9 LEC) got off to a strong start Saturday, earning their second win of the season via the mercy rule in the day's opening game.
Riley Orr (2-5) was excellent on the mound for Castleton, pitching all seven innings, allowing just two runs — one earned — and striking out six in the game. At the plate,
Reece de Castro put together his best performance of the season, going 3-5, knocking in four RBIs — tying his career-best mark from 2021 — and scoring a season-high three runs himself in the win.
The Spartans set the tone early in the game with a four-run opening inning.
Tyler McLain was the first on base earning a walk before an RBI double from
Jackson Cardozo scored the freshman. Consecutive wild pitches would allow Cardozo to score before another Panthers error scored
Hunter Perkins and an RBI single from
Addison Schaub made it a 4-0 game.
A run by both teams in the fourth made it a 5-1 game before Castleton blew the doors open in the back half of the contest, tallying seven runs in the final two innings to earn the mercy rule victory after seven innings.
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Ryan Lawrence bunt got things started in the sixth, advancing to second after a failed pickoff attempt. A single and stole base from
Jesus Cardenas put runners in scoring position before de Castro hit his second homer of the season to make it an 8-1 game.
After stealing one back in the bottom of the frame to make it a six-run game, the Spartans put up four runs off an error, RBI single from de Castro and two-RBI double from McLain to take the 12-2 lead before Orr completed the game to seal the win.
Game 2: Castleton 0, Plymouth State 10
Game 2 was a different story for Castleton, as they were held to a season-low two hits in the 10-0 loss.
It appeared as though fans were in for a pitcher's duel as both teams were held scoreless through three innings, but it was the Panthers (11-19, 3-7 LEC) breaking the tie in the fourth before exploding for a five-run fifth inning to take the 6-0 lead.
Plymouth State added a pair of runs in the sixth and seventh inning to extend their lead to 10 and force the second mercy-rule finish of the day.
Max Olmsted (0-4) took the loss for the Spartans, allowing six runs through four and one-third-innings of work. Perkins and Lawrence were the only Castleton players to tally a hit in the game.
The Spartans will look to add another conference win to their belt with a matchup against Keene State Tuesday, April 26. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
