CASTLETON, Vt. – Thanks to spectacular pitching and lively bats, the Castleton baseball team brought home its first Little East Conference victory against Keene State, 5-2, on opening day at Spartan Field Tuesday.
The Spartans (9-13, 1-6 LEC) collected nine hits on the day, four for extra bases. Reece de Castro went 2-for-4 with a solo homer. Jackson Cardozo posted a 2-for-4 performance with a stolen base as Tyler McLain picked up two hits. Extending his hit streak to nine games was Evan Keegan who doubled in his last plate appearance. For the first time in his career, Kannon Dush left the yard with a two-run bomb.
Brayden Howrigan was phenomenal on the mound, getting the start and going seven innings with 10 strikeouts to score the win. The Enosburg Falls, Vt. native limited the Owls (13-12, 3-2 LEC) to one run on six hits, walking just one batter. Tossing the eighth and ninth frames, Riley Orr one-hit the visitors while fanning three in his first appearance since March 24th.
Keene State took a 1-0 advantage in the opening half-inning on an RBI double, but Castleton evened it up in the bottom half as de Castro sent a leadoff home run to center field. Howrigan began to cook on the hill, stranding a runner with three swinging punch-outs in the second stanza. Following an Addison Schaub walk, Dush smashed a two-RBI homer over the left field wall to claim the lead. Castleton added another in the third inning as Cardozo singled, advanced on a passed ball, then scored on a single by Hunter Perkins.
In the top of the fourth, the Owls got a leadoff single followed by a fielder's choice up the middle. An errant throw while gunning for a double play was picked up by Schaub, who backed up Keegan at first base. The runner made a move toward second base but trotted back to first as Schaub quickly applied a tag to record the out. Schaub's heroics continued in the fifth frame when a two-out single put one runner aboard, but the senior catcher caught them stealing at second base.
After a double by McLain kicked off the fifth frame, Keegan grounded to second base but reached on a throwing error that also allowed McLain to come across. KSC registered a base hit in the seventh inning as the Owls elected for a pinch runner with two away. One pitch later, Schaub's arm claimed another victim trying to scurry into scoring position.
McLain got on with another forced error in the seventh, setting up a Keegan double but the sophomore was cut down at the plate. Cardozo singled to put runners on the corners as he stole second moments later, but a strikeout ended the threat.
Orr took over pitching duties in the eighth, getting his first four outs relatively quickly. A solo shot by Keene State cut the lead to three and Orr walked one, prompting a meeting with pitching coach Steve Bowley. The senior right-hander regained his composure and slammed the door with back-to-back strikeouts to seal the W.
The Spartans return to action tomorrow, April 12 at home against Middlebury, who is receiving votes in national polls. First pitch against the Panthers is at 3:30 p.m.
