PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Vermont State University Castleton softball team continued its trek to a Little East Conference playoff berth at Plymouth State on Tuesday, splitting the series via 7-4 win and 7-6 extra-inning loss at D&M Park.
Samera Rideout combined for five hits, scoring and driving in a pair of runs, to lead the offensive corps while Alexis Rogers chipped in four hits with two RBIs. Madison Gould tallied a team-high four ribbies on the day thanks to a couple of knocks. Brianna Belisle went 2-for-5 with a triple and drew three walks, scoring five times to account for nearly half of the Spartans' (15-15, 4-8 LEC) runs. Taylor Russell also collected two hits and two RBIs as Allie Almond and Mikayla Brightman added one apiece.
Game 1: VTSU Castleton 7, Plymouth State 4
Gould, the back-to-back LEC Rookie of the Week, struck out three in her fifth consecutive complete game, picking up her 10th win of the year which ties for sixth in program history.
Belisle walked, Almond reached on an unsuccessful fielder's choice, and Rideout singled to third base to get bases loaded in the first half-inning. A fly ball lifted by Rogers allowed Belisle to tag up and take an early 1-0 lead. Russell whacked a single through the middle to plate Almond, then Gould forced a fielder's choice that brought Rideout home.
Starting in the circle with a three-run lead, Gould ended an opportunity for the Panthers' (13-20, 4-10 LEC) by stranding a runner at third base in the opening frame.
Brightman led off with a base hit to spark the Spartan offense in the second inning, scampering into scoring position when Abby Hacker sacrificed. The lineup flipped over with one away as Belisle shot an RBI triple down the left-field line. Almond drove a sac fly into center field to get Belisle home, raising the score to 5-0 midway through two.
Plymouth State got on the board in the third stanza by piecing together two hits, but the Spartans limited the damage with two runners left on. A two-out walk and RBI double in the following inning slimmed the Panthers' deficit to 5-2.
Two free bases to open the Spartan fifth set up Rogers to fill the pond with a single. A couple of hitters later, Gould pounded a base hit to center field that plated Belisle and Rideout.
Down five, Plymouth made a charge in the bottom of the sixth that produced two runs but the comeback bid fell short as a three-up, three-down seventh from Gould punctuated a 7-4 Spartan victory.
Game 2: Plymouth State 7, VTSU Castleton 6
Trista DeLong was tapped to pitch the second contest and went four complete, holding the hosts to two earned runs with a pair of punch-outs. Katie Gallagher entered for a 3.1-inning relief appearance that featured three swinging strikeouts.
The Panthers struck first after Emily Bessette led off with a triple and scored moments later on a groundout.
Following a Belisle walk and Almond single to start the top of the third, Rideout launched an RBI knock to even proceedings at 1-all. However, Plymouth went on a two-out surge in the home half and retook the lead, 3-1.
DeLong kept the Panthers at bay in the fourth with two runners stranded as Gallagher got the call for the fifth. One run came across on two hits as the Spartans looked to regain momentum in the top of the sixth.
Rogers singled as Russell worked a walk, setting up Gould to push a single to right field for an RBI. Masson Billert roped a sac fly to left field to score Russell, but heads-up defense allowed the Panthers to keep their advantage.
Brightman walked and Belisle forced a costly error to begin Castleton's seventh-inning rally. Down to a 2-2 count with two outs, Rideout blasted an RBI single to left-center to tie the ballgame. Rogers and Russell kept the train rolling with twin RBI hits as the Spartans carried a two-run edge into the bottom of the seventh.
Benefitting from two hits and two walks, Plymouth made the contest level before Gallagher induced a strikeout and groundout to force extra innings.
After the Spartans went down in order, the hosts got a leadoff runner on with a walk. A sacrifice bunt shifted the runner, who sped into third base and eventually dashed home on an error for a walk-off win.
Castleton is back in action tomorrow (May 1) at home against UMass Dartmouth for the Spartans' Strike Out Cancer games. First pitch of the twinbill is at 2 p.m.
