TROY, N.Y. – The Vermont State University Castleton baseball team fell in both games of Saturday's doubleheader against RPI. The Spartans fell 24-2 in game one and 7-4 in game two, moving to 5-9 on the season.
Game 1
The Basics:
• Final Score: 24-2 RPI
• Location: Troy, New York – Robison Field at Karl Steffen Ballpark
• Records: 4-5 RPI | 5-8 Castleton
How it Happened:
The Engineers got on the board first at the bottom of the first inning, with a single to bring one run in for a 1-0 lead. After putting the Spartans down in order at the top of the second, RPI added on another run via a home run for a 2-0 lead.
At the top of the third,
Alex McClelland singled after
Tommie Shaw was hit by a pitch to put two runners on, before the inning was ended by a double play. RPI posted a 10-run inning at the bottom of the third as they took a 12-0 lead. A grand slam from the Engineers at the bottom of the fourth extended the lead to 16, as the Spartans left two runners on at the top of the fifth as they worked to get things going offensively.
A five-run bottom of the fifth put Castleton down on a 21-run deficit, before
Tripp Shytle answered with a two-run home run for his first home run as a Spartan, as the team trailed 21-2. The Engineers tacked on the final three runs of the game at the bottom of the sixth, leaving Castleton with three more outs to add runs on the board, but they were unsuccessful as RPI took the 24-2 win.
Top Performers:
• McClelland,
Trey LaVigne, Shytle, and
Joe Castellano each posted one hit for the Spartans, while Shytle had Castleton's only two RBIs of the game.
•
Patrick Hallett and
Carter Chapman each threw three strikeouts.
Game 2
The Basics:
• Final Score:
• Location: Troy, New York – Robison Field at Karl Steffen Ballpark
• Records: 5-5 RPI | 5-9 Castleton
How it Happened:
The Spartans opened game two with two strikeouts before LaVigne singled to right field, while the next batter was struck out to end the top of the first with one runner on. The Engineers took a 1-0 lead at the bottom of the first with a home run, before a sacrifice fly put them up 2-0 heading into the second inning. Adding to the 2-0 lead, RPI added one run at the bottom of the third to extend the lead to three, but Shytle grounded out at the top of the fourth, allowing the base runners to advance, bringing in McClelland as the lead was cut to two (3-1).
The smallest deficit of the day came at the top of the fifth as McClelland singles to left field, allowing
Turner Clews to cross home plate (3-2), but the Engineers added one more run at the bottom of the inning to push the lead back up to two (4-2). Following a quick one-two-three inning for Castleton in the sixth, RPI lengthened the lead back to three at the bottom of the inning before the Spartans' defense could put an end to it (5-2).
Castleton put a runner in scoring position at the top of the seventh, but a strikeout followed as the offense was stopped by the Engineers yet again. RPI tried to score its sixth run at the bottom of the seventh, but the Spartans threw the runner out from right field to the second baseman to the catcher to end the inning with one runner on.
The final chance of the day for the Spartans came at the top of the ninth, with bases loaded and two outs, as LaVigne singled through the left side to bring Castellano across the plate as the lead was cut to three (7-4). The next batter lined out to the right fielder to end the inning, and the game as the Engineers took game two 7-4.
Top Performers:
• McClelland and LaVigne led the Spartans with three hits each, combining for three RBIs.
•
Luke Russell and
Kevin Hewlett combined for three strikeouts.
What's Next
The squad heads up Route 30 to Middlebury tomorrow (March 15) for a non-conference contest with the Panthers. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
