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Justin Strozyk
15
Winner Brandeis BRANDEIS 3-0
9
Vermont State Castleton VERMONT 0-1
Winner
Brandeis BRANDEIS
3-0
15
Final
9
Vermont State Castleton VERMONT
0-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Brandeis BRANDEIS 0 0 3 0 5 0 0 2 5 15 14 1
Vermont State Castleton VERMONT 0 0 0 0 5 1 0 0 3 9 8 2

W: J. Herzog (1-0) L: Russell, Luke (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Strozyk Records Grand Slam as Baseball Falls in Season Opener Against Judges

DAVENPORT, Fla. – The Vermont State University Castleton baseball team opened the 2026 season at the RussMatt Invitational in Davenport, Florida, on Friday with a 15-9 loss in its opening game of the invitational.

The Basics:
  • Final Score: 15-9 Brandeis
  • Location: Davenport, Florida – Northeast Regional Park
  • Records: 3-0 Brandeis | 0-1 Castleton
How it Happened:
The Judges struck first in the third inning with a deep single that allowed the runner on second to score before a double to left field brought in two more runners, giving Brandeis a 3-0 lead. The Spartans were able to leave two Judges on base to close out the top half of the fourth, while they went down in a row to close out the bottom half of the inning.

The fifth inning saw the scoring kick up for both teams with a combined 10 runs. Brandeis scored off a passed ball to start the inning and then added on two runs after a CJ Ritchie strikeout. The Judges added on two more runs to take an 8-0 lead before the Spartans closed out the half inning. Stringing together two walks, a stolen base, and a batter hit by a pitch, the Spartans loaded the bases as Tommie Shaw sent a single into play to bring Mikey Raby Jr. home for Castleton's first run of the day. Justin Strozyk stepped up to the plate and launched his first career grand slam and second career home run to cut the lead to 8-5 heading into the sixth inning.

Following a pitching change, Shaw sent a single into play again, allowing Jack Humbach to cross home plate as Castleton now trailed by two at the conclusion of the sixth. Both teams escaped the seventh inning with no runs on the board, but the Judges added to their lead with a single down the left side, allowing two runs to come in, giving them a 10-6 lead.

The Judges added five runs at the top of the ninth as the Spartans had the last opportunity to take the lead. Alex McClelland notched a single for his first career hit as he loaded the bases for Turner Clews. Clews slammed a triple out to left center, bringing in all three runners, but the final batter for Castleton struck out as the Judges took the 15-9 win.

Top Performers:
  • Shaw and Strozyk led the team with two hits each, with Strozyk notching the lone home run, while adding four RBIs.
  • Clews added three RBIs.
What's Next
The team is back in action at the RussMatt tomorrow (February 21) for a game against The City College of New York, with first pitch set for 12:45 p.m.
 
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