CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton softball team secured an important Little East Conference victory against Eastern Connecticut State as the squads split Saturday's doubleheader at Spartan Field.
Mikayla Brightman starred at the dish, going 4-for-6 with an RBI and was a home run shy of the cycle. Alexis Rogers collected three hits with two RBIs, crossing the plate two times. Samera Rideout doubled twice to drive in a pair of runs. Taylor Russell's reached base streak improved to 13 as the sophomore added a couple of singles and two RBIs. Abby Hacker, Taylor Russell, and Brianna Belisle also ended the day with two knocks apiece for the Spartans (11-13, 2-6 LEC).
Game 1: Eastern Connecticut State 12, VTSU Castleton 3
Katie Gallagher spent five innings in the circle, working around 11 hits to allow just three runs while fanning two. Trista DeLong closed it out and picked up three strikeouts in the final pair of frames.
Eastern Connecticut (13-12-1, 5-3 LEC) charged out to a 4-0 lead after the first inning and tallied another run in the second.
The Spartan bats began to come around in the fourth stanza when Allie Almond supplied the team's first hit, a single to center field. Rogers followed with a hard-hit grounder up the middle, but a picturesque diving stop and toss to second from Maddi Sauve cut down Almond. Rideout and Madison Gould drew free bases to load the pond, then Kayleigh Osterhaudt worked an RBI walk to chip at the deficit.
The ensuing frame featured a hot start from Castleton beginning with a leadoff single from Hacker. A wayward pitch plunked Belisle and Russell singled to pack the house once again. Almond grounded into a fielder's choice up the middle to bring Hacker home and a Rogers knock sent Belisle across, narrowing the Warrior lead to 5-3.
After three scoreless offensive stanzas, Eastern Connecticut unloaded eight hits and forced two errors to plate seven runs in the sixth and seventh to hold on for an opener win.
Game 2: VTSU Castleton 9, Eastern Connecticut State 7
Gould assumed pitching duties for the second contest and went the distance in a nine-hit affair as the rookie punched out six.
Despite the Warriors hot start to Game 1, Gould shut down the visitors with two swinging strikeouts to strand a pair in the top of the first. The Spartans drew three consecutive walks before all three runners moved ahead on a wild pitch. Russell powered an RBI single through the middle to make it a 2-0 ballgame after one complete.
Brightman deposited a single to right field to kick off the second inning as a Hacker sacrifice bunt shifted her into scoring position. A single and stolen base from Belisle put Spartans at second and third, setting up Rideout to clear the pond with a two-RBI double to the left-center hole which extended the lead to four.
Eastern's Maddie Baker led off the third with a hit and swiped two bases during Emma Marelli's at-bat. The Warrior shortstop lifted a ball to the corner in left field, clearing the fence for a two-run shot to slice the gap in half. In the home side of the stanza, Masson Billert walked and scored from first base on Brightman's two-out RBI double. Hacker bagged a hit as she moved on a wild pitch and Brightman scored to match the Warriors' output for the inning.
The Warriors refused to go away, using back-to-back RBI singles to tie the game at 6-6 in the top of the fourth, but Almond's double down the left-field line and Rogers' triple to center put the Spartans back in the lead. Russell hit a roller to shortstop, sending Rogers home for the would-be winning RBI.
A fifth-inning line drive soaring off the bat of Brightman reached the center-field fence, allowing the first-year Spartan to dash into third base safely. Hacker gave herself up again with a sac fly to add insurance for the Castleton advantage. Eastern scored a lone run in the top of the sixth before Gould retired the last five, nabbing a much-needed conference triumph.
The Spartans' game-two win snapped a seven-meeting streak of Eastern Connecticut victories.
Castleton travels down to Schenectady, N.Y. on Wednesday, April 24 to challenge Union College. The twinbill is slated for a 3 p.m. start.
