CASTLETON, Vt. – The Castleton softball team hosted Keene State in their home-opener Saturday afternoon, earning their first series sweep of the season.
Jess Heinrichs was the hero in Game 1, hitting a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh to clinch a 2-1 victory, before the Spartans forced the five-inning mercy rule with a 11-2 Game 2 win.
Samera Rideout had an impressive day at the plate, going a combined 4-6 and adding two runs and two RBIs, while
Olivia Joy and
Alexis Rogers both threw complete games in the circle en route to each of their second wins of the year.
Castleton 2, Keene State 1
Runs were at a premium in Saturday's opener, but it was Castleton (6-8, 3-1 LEC) scoring first in the opening inning to take the 1-0 lead. For the second time this season,
Hannah Mosher hit a triple on her first at-bat of the day. Unlike the first time, however, the grad student crossed home plate on an RBI single from
Miranda Fish to put the Spartans up one.
Keene State (5-15, 1-3 LEC) looked to respond in the second inning after their first two batters reached base safely, but Joy retired the next three in order to keep Castleton in the lead.
After settling into a pitcher's duel, the Owls finally leveled the score at one in the top of the fifth on an RBI double — the lone run Joy would give up on the day. They nearly took the lead when an error set up the Keene with a runner at third, but a routine pop up kept it a 1-1 game.
Joy would retire the next six batters, setting up the Spartans with a walk-off opportunity in the bottom of the seventh. After Rogers struck out in the leadoff spot, Rideout secured her second hit of the game, a double to right center.
Alexandra Brouillette drew a walk to turn up the pressure with two runners on, before Heinrichs tallied her first hit of the day at the perfect time, rifling a single to left center that scored pinch runner
Dana Elkins to claim Game 1, 2-1.
By the end of her afternoon, Joy had thrown all seven innings, allowing five hits and just one run in the win. The senior's 2.23 ERA now ranks eighth in the conference, with her 0.44 mark across two LEC starts placing her third.
Castleton 11, Keene State 2
Unlike in Game 1, the Spartans got on the board early and often in Saturday's night cap, scoring five runs in the first inning.
Mosher got things started once again with a single through the left side, extending her hit streak to four games. A walk drawn by
Allison Almond moved Mosher to second before Rideout hit an RBI single into right field that scored the graduate student.
Castleton's bats stayed hot with another single by Rogers scoring Almond, before a fielder's choice, hit batter, and walk tacked on three more runs to make it 5-0 Spartans.
Both teams had a quiet second inning before the Owls capitalized on a pair of walks to cut into the lead with a two-run third inning. There with a response, however, were the Spartans, who scored six in the home half to extend their lead to nine.
Brouillette and Heinrichs each got on base via walks, before a sacrifice bunt from
Kayla Fac moved both runners. Up next was
Kate LaPan, who hit a single into left field to score the pair. Mosher hit a single to right to put two on the bags once again, and a bases-clearing double by Almond on the ensuing at bat put Castleton up 9-6.
Despite a pitching change the Spartans continued to roll, with Rideout, Rogers, and Fish tacking on consecutive singles to go up nine runs before a grounder ultimately ended the inning.
Back in the circle, Rogers concluded her strong day by retiring six of the next seven batters to secure the win. Making her fourth career start, the freshman pitched her second complete game, allowing three hits and two runs across five innings.
Castleton returns to the field Tuesday, April 11 when they host SUNY Cobleskill in non-conference action. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 3 p.m.
