GORHAM, Maine – The Vermont State University Castleton softball team fell just short in both ends of its Little East Conference doubleheader against Southern Maine on Sunday, logging narrow 7-6 and 3-1 defeats.
Masson Billert led the Spartans (9-8, 1-2 LEC) at the plate with three hits and an RBI. Alexis Rogers reached base safely five times, collecting two hits and three walks while driving in a pair of runs. From the leadoff slot, Allie Almond blasted the squad's first home run of the year – a two-run shot – with a single as Abby Hacker also had a multi-hit day.
Game 1: Southern Maine 7, VTSU Castleton 6
Katie Gallagher put together a solid five-inning start, striking out three Huskies (14-4, 3-1 LEC) and allowing three runs. In relief, Trista DeLong picked up a punch-out in a scoreless sixth frame and Madison Gould closed the contest in the seventh.
Following a second-inning offensive outburst that produced three USM runs, the Spartans swung back in the next half-inning when Billert singled and Almond cleared the fence with a two-run shot to bring the visitors within one.
The fourth stanza saw Rogers send a knock to right field and Taylor Russell lay down a sacrifice bunt, placing a Spartan in scoring position. A two-out single from Billert was enough to score Rogers and get even with the Huskies at 3-all.
Although eventful fifth and sixth innings failed to bring any runs across, Castleton gained steam in the seventh as Hacker singled, Brianna Belisle doubled, and Samera Rideout walked to load the bases with one down. Rogers worked a full-count RBI walk to give the Spartans their first lead and force a pitching change. Russell grounded to first base, but an error allowed Belisle to chalk up another run. Two batters later, Billert raced into first on a dropped third strike that also brought Rogers home to extend the Spartan edge to 6-3.
However, the Huskies stormed back in the bottom half on an RBI double by Rona Scott and a three-run homer from Kendall Migliorini to walk it off, 7-6.
Game 2: Southern Maine 3, VTSU Castleton 1
After a game-one relief appearance, Gould took the rubber for a game-two start in which she retired two batters on strikes with two earned runs in three complete frames. Rogers got the nod for the final three innings as the sophomore fanned four and allowed no runs on two hits.
USM was first on the board in the second stanza, plating an unearned run on a Spartan miscue. The Huskies embellished on their lead in the third with two tallies on four hits, but Gould limited the damage by stranding three.
After a successful first frame in the circle from Rogers, she followed an Almond single with an RBI hit of her own to narrow the gap to 3-1.
Gould sent a single to right-center and scampered to second on a passed ball in the sixth, but USM's Lexus McIntosh shut down the side with back-to-back strikeouts. Rogers breezed through the home half as the Spartans also went down in order in the top of the seventh to wrap up proceedings in favor of the Huskies.
The Spartans return home on Tuesday, April 16 for a two-game LEC set against UMass Boston at 3 and 5 p.m.
