SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Vermont State University Castleton softball team fell in both games of Saturday's doubleheader against Skidmore. The Spartans dropped game one, 12-4, and game two, 4-2.

Game 1
The Basics:

• Final Score: 12-4 Skidmore
• Location: Saratoga Springs, N.Y. | Wagner Park
• Records: 5-4 Skidmore | 5-4 Castleton

How it Happened:
Alex Brouillette opened the game strong for the Spartans, striking out the first three batters in the top of the first. In the bottom half, Maddy Dudley gave Castleton an early lead with a solo home run to left field, marking her first career homer. Skidmore answered in the second inning, using a walk and a deep hit to right field to even the score at 1-1.

The Thoroughbreds took control in the third inning, capitalizing on Spartan errors and smart hitting. A single up the middle drove in a run, while another scored on a throwing error. A two-run home run to center field extended the lead to 5-1. Castleton responded in the bottom of the third with Jordan Hill leading off with a double. Madison Gould reached on a fielder's choice and Masson Billert singled to put runners in scoring position. Brouillette followed with an RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-2.

After a quick fourth inning, Skidmore broke the game open in the fifth. The Thoroughbreds strung together multiple extra-base hits and singles to score seven runs and extend their lead to 12-2.

The Spartans pushed across two runs in their final at-bat. Hill singled to lead off, Dudley reached on an error, and Gould delivered an RBI single. Dudley later scored on a sacrifice fly by Anna Winter, but Castleton ultimately fell 12-4.

Top Performers:

• Hill led the Spartans with two hits.
• Four different Spartans recorded RBIs.
• Brouillette tallied 10 strikeouts in the circle.

Game 2
The Basics:

• Final Score: 4-2 Skidmore
• Location: Saratoga Springs, N.Y. | Wagner Park
• Records: 6-4 Skidmore | 5-5 Castleton

How it Happened:
Skidmore put a runner on base in the opening inning with a single, but Castleton worked out of the inning to keep the game scoreless. In the bottom half, Dudley singled to right, while Gould and Makayla Walsh each reached on fielder's choices. Samera Rideout doubled to right-center to move a runner into scoring position, but the Spartans were unable to convert.

The Thoroughbreds broke through in the second inning. A single and a fielding error set up a run-scoring single to make it 1-0. Later in the inning, a triple to left-center field brought in two more runs, extending the lead to 3-0.

Defensively, the Spartans were highlighted in the third when Dudley made a leaping catch at the fence in center field to rob a home run for the Thoroughbreds. Skidmore added another run later in the inning on a double off the fence to make it 4-0.

Castleton made a push in the seventh inning after Winter singled to left field, followed by a single to center from Caley Napoletano. Sami Horton brought in a run on a sacrifice fly, and Brouillette followed with an RBI double to right-center to cut the deficit to 4-2, but were unable to complete the comeback.

Top Performers:

• Rideout and Dudley each recorded two hits.
• Horton and Brouillette each tallied one RBI.

What's Next
The Spartans will host Clarkson for a doubleheader on March 25, with first pitch set for 3 p.m.