CASTLETON, Vt. – The Castleton softball team hosted Plymouth State in LEC action Tuesday afternoon, winning Game 1 in walk-off fashion before securing the important sweep with an 8-5 Game 2 victory.
The Spartans (12-10, 5-3 LEC) outhit the Panthers (12-14, 3-5 LEC) in both contest Tuesday, paced by
Alexandra Brouillette who went a combined 6-7 on the day.
Alexis Rogers did it all for Castleton, earning the win in the circle and hitting the walk-off single in Game 1, before
Hannah Mosher hit her team-high third homerun of the season to give the Spartans a lead they would not give up in Game 2.
Castleton 3, Plymouth State 2
Olivia Joy made the start in the circle for Game 1, but was forced to leave two innings into the contest after taking a groundball to the shin.
Katie Gallagher stepped in on short notice and threw four scoreless innings, setting up Rogers to toss a perfect seventh and secure the win.
At the plate, seven different Spartans registered a hit, with Brouillette's three base knocks and Rogers' two RBIs leading the way.
Castleton got on the board first in Tuesday's opener, jumping out to a 1-0 lead after the first inning. Mosher — leading off for the first time this season — started things with a double down the first-base line. The graduate student would score two at-bats later following a Rogers double to take the one-run lead.
Plymouth State responded on the second with a solo shot before taking the lead in the top of the third. Both teams shored up on the defensive side, taking the Spartans into the bottom of the sixth down one.
After Castleton's first two batters went down,
Miranda Fish hit a critical double to left field to begin the rally, scoring the game-tying run on a Brouillette-single on the ensuing at-bat.
Madison Wilson joined the party to get two runners on, but the Spartans struck out to end the frame and enter the final inning level at two.
Rogers entered the circle in relief of Gallagher and looked excellent, retiring the Panthers in order to give Castleton a chance to walk-off the game in the home-half, an opportunity they would not waste.
Kayla Fac hit a leadoff single, but was thrown out at second on a fielder's choice that put Mosher at first.
Allison Almond executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Mosher, and an intentional walk taken by
Samera Rideout put two on and Rogers at the plate. After taking care of business in the circle, Rogers came through once again with a liner to right field, scoring Mosher and clinching the 3-2, Game 1 victory for the Spartans.
Castleton 8, Plymouth State 5
Castleton's bats were slugging the ball in Game 2, as the Spartans scored eight runs on just nine hits, once again paced by Brouillette who went 3-4 with a team-high three RBIs. Rogers started in the circle after ending Game 1, tossing two innings before
Lauren Ross finished the contest, allowing four runs — two earned — across five innings en route to her first collegiate win.
Plymouth State struck first in Tuesday's night cap, scoring a run in the opening inning to take a 1-0 lead, but it was short-lived after Castleton's bats warmed up in the second.
Brouillette started the rally with a single back up the middle for her fourth hit of the day. Wilson drew a walk to put two on before
Jess Heinrichs advanced both runners on a groundout to the shortstop. Capitalizing on the runners in scoring position, Fac lifted a ball into right center to score both and give the Spartans their first lead of Game 2. The graduate student now sits at seven RBIs on the season, just on shy of tying her career-best mark set in both 2021 and 2022.
Castleton extended their lead in the third after a Brouillette single scored both Rogers and Fish to make it a 4-1 game. The Panthers responded with a three-run fourth inning to tie the game, but the Spartans wasted no time in regaining their lead in the home-half.
Mosher kicked the inning off with a solo shot to left field to retake the lead and give her three on the year, before RBI base knocks from Brouillette and Rideout gave Castleton a 7-4 lead.
The sides traded runs in the fifth and sixth innings before Ross shut the door in the seventh, letting just one runner on before clinching the 8-5 win and series sweep for the Spartans.
Castleton begins a brief road trip Saturday, April 22 when they travel south to take on Rhode Island College in a Little East Conference bout. First pitch for the doubleheader is at 1 p.m.
