CASTLETON, Vt. – Coming off a 7-2 game-one defeat, the Vermont State University Castleton softball team rallied in the nightcap with a late 13-run surge to run-rule Plattsburgh State, 15-6, in a non-conference doubleheader at Spartan Field on Wednesday.
The Spartans (10-11) mashed 23 hits in the twinbill with seven Spartans recording multi-hit days. Abby Hacker led the way with four hits, recording a new career high of three in Game 2, while scoring twice with an RBI. Alexis Rogers, Allie Almond, Madison Gould, and Samera Rideout collected three hits apiece and combined for eight ribbies. Brianna Belisle tripled and homered, a three-run walk-off, in the second tango while coming across the plate three times.
Game 1: Plattsburgh State 7, VTSU Castleton 2
Katie Gallagher limited the Cardinals (7-19) to two earned runs while striking out one and walking none in four innings of work. Rogers relieved the senior hurler in a 2.1-frame appearance before Gould finished the job, picking up the last two outs on strikes.
Plattsburgh took a 1-0 lead in the opening half-inning, but the Spartans matched it when Rogers sent a pitch soaring over the left field fence to lead off the bottom of the second. In the Cardinals' next turn at bat, they regained the edge on a solo homer to the same spot from Dimitra Mouhteros.
A couple of Spartan errors in a lengthy fifth inning produced two Plattsburgh runs as the Cardinals had bases loaded with one out. A pop-up to shallow right field was corralled by Almond who then snapped a throw to Maddie Wilson at the plate for a double play.
Rideout deposited a double to the left-center gap in the sixth stanza as Jordan Hill was called in to pinch-run. Taylor Russell capitalized with a two-out single up the middle, cutting the Cardinal lead down to two runs. However, the visitors put three more runs on in their half of the seventh to snare a 7-2 game-one win.
Game 2: VTSU Castleton 15, Plattsburgh State 6
Trista DeLong took over pitching duties to start the second game, retiring nine of her first 10 hitters in the junior's four-frame outing. Gould bagged the victory in relief, punching out four with no walks surrendered through two innings.
Plattsburgh opened the scoring once again as Mouhteros drilled her second blast of the day to begin the third inning. In the home half, Belisle forced an error and Rogers doubled down the left-field line to put two Spartans in scoring position. Russell lifted a sac fly to plate Belisle, then an RBI single from Rideout brought Rogers home to grab a 2-1 lead.
In the top of the fourth, the Cardinal offense unloaded five hits to score four runs, usurping the Spartans by a three-run gap which became four midway through the fifth stanza.
The Spartans' third time through the order wound up being the charm. Belisle kicked it off with a triple to right field as Rogers followed with an RBI knock. Russell earned a free base and Rideout singled to fill the pond, setting the table for a two-RBI double from Gould. Hacker delivered a base hit up the middle as pinch runner Vinna Jensen came across to tie the contest at 6-6. Dana Elkins laid down a bunt to score Gould, then Almond plated one with a single to force a pitching change.
Facing a new arm with runners on second and third, Rogers singled to the shortstop for another RBI as an errant throw brought Almond home. After facing a four-run deficit midway through the fifth, the Spartans headed into the sixth with a four-run advantage.
Gould picked up the pace, navigating around a lone single with three strikeouts, quickly summoning the offense back. The Whitehall, N.Y. product and fellow rookie Hacker got into scoring territory on back-to-back hits. Kayleigh Osterhaudt tapped a ball back to the pitcher whose toss to the dish failed to beat pinch-running Hill. Madison Hanna took Osterhaudt's place at first base, stealing second before being moved to third on an Almond RBI single. Belisle stepped in and demolished a pitch deep to right field, over the fence for a three-run shot in walk-off, run-rule fashion.
After a day of rest following back-to-back home twinbills, Castleton goes back to Keene State on Friday, April 19 for the league foes' second meeting. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
