LITTLE RIVER, S.C. – Opposing offensive surges haunted the Vermont State University Castleton softball team Sunday as the Spartans dropped matchups against Minnesota Morris and SUNY Poly on the last day of their journey in the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic.
Allie Almond reached base three times as the senior infielder posted two hits, one in each contest, and drew a walk. Samera Rideout also collected a pair of hits and knocked in a run for the Spartans (5-3).
Game 1: Minnesota Morris 5, VTSU Castleton 2
Madison Gould threw 5.1 innings with three strikeouts and one walk against the Cougars. The Whitehall, N.Y. product tossed three-up, three-down frames in the second and third stanzas but fell victim to timely hitting in the fifth and sixth. Katie Gallagher took over to pitch the last 1.2 innings while holding UMM off the board.
Minnesota Morris added a run in the top of the first as the Spartans made strong efforts in the ensuing frames to erase the Cougar lead, but were stifled by a lockdown defense.
UMM added to their advantage by plating two in the fifth as Castleton successfully responded with two away in the inning's bottom half. Brianna Belisle tagged a ball to center field for a double, then raced to third on a wild pitch. Rideout powered a single through the middle for an RBI and cut the deficit to 3-1.
The Cougars chalked two more runs across in the next frame while Castleton left two runners aboard. Almond and Rideout singled to open the Spartans' last opportunity, then Taylor Russell and Gould walked to bring home one. However, UMM recorded a strikeout to strand three Spartans on the base paths and end the contest.
Game 2: SUNY Poly 3, VTSU Castleton 0
Trista DeLong put together a great outing in the circle as she got the nod for all six frames, keeping SUNY Poly off the board in the final five. She ended the day with three hits, two earned runs, two walks, and a pair of strikeouts.
Almond tacked on a base hit to lead off as Belisle moved her over with a sac bunt, but the Spartans' were denied a score. The Wildcats forced an error and placed a single through the left side to plate two runs, then brought a third runner home on a groundout in their half of the first stanza.
Kayleigh Osterhaudt and Mikayla Brightman strung together one-out singles in the top of the fourth, which became the Spartans' last offensive contribution as SUNY Poly retired the next 11 batters to bag the victory.
Castleton returns home on Sunday, March 24 for a twin bill against Skidmore. The matchups are scheduled for 12 and 2 p.m.
