CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton softball team rallied not once, but twice to sweep then-Little East Conference leader Rhode Island College, 2-1 and 4-3, at Spartan Field on Saturday to qualify for league playoffs.
Abby Hacker walked off the opener with a bases-loaded single, finishing the day with two RBIs. Brianna Belisle drove in the tying and go-ahead runs for the Spartans (18-16, 7-9 LEC) in the sixth inning of Game 2 as the defense held on to complete the sweep. Masson Billert recorded a team-high three hits with a run scored, all in the finale. Samera Rideout and Taylor Russell both added a pair of knocks with an RBI while Allie Almond and Madison Gould also collected multiple base hits.
Game 1: VTSU Castleton 2, Rhode Island College 1
Gould held the LEC's top offense to a lone run and stranded 13 runners aboard, striking out eight Anchorwomen (28-10, 10-6) while improving to 12-7 in the circle.
RIC's Avery Katz kicked off the twinbill with an infield single, but the visitors were kept silent until the fourth inning when a Victoria Young two-out double plated the first run.
Behind strong pitching from Abby Kidd, the Anchorwomen shut down the Spartan offense in the fourth and fifth as their bats continued to stay warm. In the top of the sixth, RIC put two runners in scoring position but Gould snared the third out on a looking strike three.
Hacker opened the home half with a leadoff walk as Belisle followed with a sacrifice bunt, moving the Albany, N.Y. product to second. Almond dropped a single into right field to join Hacker on the base paths. Next up was Rideout who lifted a foul ball down the first-base line that RIC second baseman Noelle Simmons hauled in. However, the catch allowed Hacker to tag from third and scamper to the plate safely to tie the ballgame.
The Anchorwomen surged with two outs in the seventh stanza behind a Melanie Earley single and back-to-back walks. Brianna Bailey sent a deep fly to center field, but Russell made the grab to get Castleton out of the jam.
The sophomore center fielder led off the Spartans with a base hit and dashed into second on a wild pitch. Gould found a hole in the right side of the infield, putting runners on the corners with no outs. A groundout shifted Gould to second base as Masson Billert drew an HBP to load the bases with Hacker stepping to the dish. She whipped a hard ground ball to third base that could not be corralled, walking off the opener for a 2-1 final.
Game 2: VTSU Castleton 4, Rhode Island College 3
Trista DeLong took the reins for the finale, allowing just one earned run with two punch-outs in a five-inning performance. Gould toed the rubber for the scoreless sixth and seventh innings, earning her 13th win to match the Castleton single-season record.
The Spartans threatened in their half of the first frame as Belisle worked a walk and Rideout tacked on a left-side single. A fly ball from Alexis Rogers allowed Belisle to take third, but the Anchorwomen escaped the inning unscathed.
After being silenced in the initial half-inning, RIC's offense shot out of a cannon with three consecutive hits, producing the go-ahead run. A passed ball brought home another to create a 2-0 advantage as DeLong retired the next two batters to limit the damage.
Castleton players reached base in both the second and third but RIC's robust defense refused to crack. The fourth inning began more promisingly for the Spartans as Gould walked and Billert singled. Madison Hanna was tapped to run for Billert, bolting to second while Gould charged into third on a wild pitch. Hacker capitalized, skying a ball into center field for a sac fly to halve the Anchorwomen's edge.
RIC extended its lead back to two in the fifth as DeLong eradicated a bases loaded threat, keeping the hosts within reach. Almond smacked a double to the right-center gap and took third on an errant pitch. Von der Linden picked up two outs in a row, but Russell refused to be the third with an RBI single to narrow the score to 3-2.
Gould went back to the circle to start the sixth and did not miss a beat, inducing three straight fly outs.
Mikayla Brightman tucked a single inside the right-field line to force a pitching change one batter into the sixth inning's home half. Billert deposited a back-side single and Hacker laid down a sac bunt, putting the Spartans' tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. Belisle cashed in with a liner through the left side, bringing both runs home for another late tip of the scales to favor Castleton.
Consecutive singles from Katz and Amanda Conti had the Ocean State program sitting pretty, but an incredible foul-territory grab at the backstop by Billert halted the visitors' momentum. Moments later, a grounder to the hot corner was gloved by Belisle who stepped on the base and tossed over to first for a double play as the Spartans erupted in jubilation, grasping the knowledge that the final spot in the LEC playoffs was theirs.
Castleton is the No. 6 seed in next week's tournament hosted by UMass Boston. Action begins on Wednesday, May 8 against third-seeded Eastern Connecticut State at 12:30 p.m.
