NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Castleton softball team extended its win streak to six with a pair of victories over in-state rival Norwich Wednesday afternoon, dominating Game 1, 12-0 before securing its third straight sweep with a 9-7, extra-inning Game 2 win.
The Spartans reached double digit hits in both contests, out-swinging Norwich by a combined 25-13 at the plate, while
Olivia Joy had the answer all afternoon in the circle. The senior grabbed both decisions on the day, winning Game 1 after throwing five scoreless innings before entering Game 2 in relief, allowing two runs — just one earned — across three frames to move to 4-4 on the year.
Castleton 12, Norwich 0
Game 1 was all Castleton (10-8, 3-1 LEC) from start to finish, as the Spartans took an early lead and never looked back en route to the mercy-rule victory.
Kate LaPan led the way for Castleton at the plate, going 3-4 and knocking home two RBIs, while
Allison Almond,
Samera Rideout,
Jess Heinrichs, and
Kayla Fac also tallied multi-hit days.
After threatening in the opening inning, Castleton broke open the afternoon's scoring with a two-run second. With two outs and no one on, Heinrichs started the rally with a single to right center, advancing to second on the throw. A second error brought the sophomore home and put Fac on first, who would score herself on the ensuing at-bat, an RBI double from LaPan.
Carrying over their hot bats into the third, Almond got things going with a leadoff single, advancing to second on a wild pitch and stealing third. An RBI double by
Miranda Fish made it a 3-0 game, before a series of errors put the Spartans ahead five runs. Just before the inning would end, Fac tallied her first hit of the day to score Heinrichs once again, this time hitting a single to left to put Castleton ahead 6-0.
The Spartans added a run in the fourth on an inside-the-park homer by Rideout to make it a seven-run game before adding five in the fifth to put it out of reach.
Entering the contest as a pinch runner after a fielder's choice put Heinrichs on first,
Dana Elkins would move into scoring and cross home plate on back-to-back singles from Fac and LaPan. Consecutive walks scored a run and kept the bases loaded, setting up Rideout to hit a three-RBI single to center field to make it a 12-run game.
Joy returned in the bottom of the fifth and retired Norwich's batters in order to secure the complete-game win, the senior's third in her last four starts.
Castleton 9, Norwich 7
Wednesday's night cap was much closer, as the Cadets (1-17, 0-6 GNAC) forced Castleton into extra innings for just the second time this season. The Spartans held a small 13-9 lead in hits, paced by a career-best three knocks from
Alexandra Brouillette, while Joy picked up her second win on the day in the circle.
Elkins drew a walk in the leadoff spot to get things started, advancing to second on a single from Mosher before opening up Game 2's scoring on an RBI single from Fish, giving the graduate student a team-best 17 RBIs on the year. Castleton flirted with a crooked number, loading the bases one at-bat later, but were unable to get anything more and would end the first up 1-0.
After a scoreless top-half of the second, Norwich took their first lead of the afternoon with a two-run home half to go up 2-1. The lead was short-lived however, as the Spartans responded with three runs of their own in the third to reclaim it.
Rogers got on base via a walk before Brouillette singled to center to put two on for
Sydney Miller, and exactly one day after securing her first hit in the 343 green, the fifth-year senior rifled her first home run to left center to clear the bases and put Castleton up 4-2.
The Spartans added an insurance run in the top of the fifth on an error that scored Fac, but a trio of runs by the Cadets in the home half tied things at five. After a scoreless next two innings, the game headed to extras.
LaPan started the inning on second, advancing to third on a perfectly executed bunt by Mosher that set Almond up with runners on the corners. Building on an impressive day, the junior ripped a double to left field to score both runners and give Castleton back the lead. Taking advantage of a pair of errors, the Spartans added two more runs to go up 9-5 heading into the home half.
With Joy back on the mound having entered in relief in the sixth, Norwich scored a pair of their own, but the senior was able to limit the damage and clinch her second win of the day and the sweep for the Spartans with the 9-7 victory.
Lauren Ross made the start in the circle allowing two runs across three innings, with Brouillette and Joy entering the game in relief in the team's sixth straight win.
Castleton will look to extend their win streak once again when they return to LEC-play Saturday, April 15 for a matchup against Eastern Connecticut. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m.
