DANBURY, Conn. — Thanks to excellent pitching and errorless fielding, the Castleton baseball team completed a clean sweep of WestConn on Friday, winning 3-0 and 5-3.
Jackson Cardozo had a 3-for-8 day at the dish, adding three RBIs and a walk. Tyler McLain and Evan Keegan each collected three hits and a ribbie with singles in both games. Cardozo and Reece de Castro collected doubles while Jack Boyle wore two HBPs, logging a hit and a run scored.
In the doubleheader's 18 innings, the Spartans (16-18, 6-8 LEC) allowed just two walks while fanning 12.
Game 1: Castleton 3, WestConn 0
Riley Orr picked up his fourth win of 2023, punching out five with one walk while allowing four hits in six innings. Hurling the seventh and eighth frames, Joseph Voli held the Wolves (9-28, 3-12) to one hit with three Ks. Brayden Howrigan finished it off, stranding one in the final stanza for the save.
Castleton's offense kicked into gear quickly as de Castro pounded a leadoff double, marching over to third base on a fly ball. Cleanup hitter Cardozo brought the grad student home with an RBI single, starting the game with a 1-0 lead. WestConn began their half with a single and eventually got the runner to third, but Orr regrouped and got two swift outs to end the threat.
Each side went down in order in the second stanza as the Spartans were back at the top of their lineup for inning three. De Castro, McLain, and Keegan strung together a trio of singles to plate one, then Cardozo provided another RBI base hit to extend the gap to 3-0. A threatening situation emerged in the home side after a leadoff triple by the Wolves. Second baseman McLain fielded a grounder moments later, firing it to catcher Addison Schaub to cut down the runner. Orr retired the next two batsmen to keep the hosts scoreless.
Voli entered the ballgame with one aboard and no outs in the seventh, striking out the first batter he faced. De Castro snatched a line drive for the second out, firing across the infield to beat the runner at first for an inning-ending double play. Despite allowing hits in the eighth and ninth frames, the Spartans kept the Wolves off the board to bag the program's first shutout in Little East Conference action.
Game 2: Castleton 5, WestConn 3
In a five-frame outing, Aubrey Ramey limited WestConn to two runs on six hits, walking one with two punch-outs. Stephen Coffey struck out a pair in 3.2 innings, allowing one run with five hits and no walks. Howrigan made his second appearance of the day, getting the final out for his LEC-leading sixth save of the year.
Taking advantage of Castleton leaving runners six on base in the first four innings, the Wolves got an RBI single and sacrifice fly to lead 2-0 after four complete. In the top of the fifth, McLain and Keegan posted back-to-back singles as Cardozo drove in McLain via fielder's choice. In Ramey's final frame on the hill, the junior right-hander muffled the top of the lineup to bring the offense back to the plate.
With two outs and Spartans on the corners in the sixth, a new pitcher's errant delivery allowed Boyle to score the tying run. Lawrence, who stole second and moved to third on the wild pitch, was joined by de Castro who walked. Continuing the rally was McLain, depositing an RBI single to center field to overtake the Wolves, 3-2. The Spartans' momentum kept building as Coffey silenced WestConn in the home half, striking out one.
Schaub and Boyle reached on free passes with one away in the seventh, bringing up Kannon Dush who lifted a pitch to center field. An E8 allowed Dush to reach safely and Schaub to cross the plate for the fourth tally. The Spartans forced another error in the next at-bat as Lawrence's grounder to second base was misplayed, bringing around Dush. Now pitching with a healthy lead, Coffey found his groove and retired six of the next seven.
Following a leadoff single, the Wolves grounded into a 1-6-3 twin killing but started to go on a two-out rally. Three hits in a row produced a run, cutting the lead to two and forcing a call to the bullpen. Howrigan came in with two aboard and got the final out immediately, securing the save and the Spartans' doubleheader sweep.
Castleton is back on the road Tuesday, May 2 for the squad's second meeting with Union College. First pitch at Shuttleworth Park is slated for 4 p.m.
