Kayla Wood pitched 12 innings with just one earned run and 15 strikeouts to lead Castleton to a two-game sweep over Johnson St. this afternoon – 5-1 and 7-3.
The Spartans have now won eight of their last nine games and hold a 19-10 record, while also sitting atop the North Atlantic Conference standings with Husson at 10-2 overall. The Badgers, meanwhile, fall to 8-12 overall and 3-7 in conference play with the two losses.
In game one, Wood pitched an absolute gem, as the Spartans outhit the opposition 8-4 to secure a 5-1 victory.
The sophomore right-hander tossed a complete game with just one earned run and seven strikeouts to pick up her 12th win of the season. Andrea Williams, meanwhile, took the loss after throwing seven innings with five runs (one earned) and three strikeouts.
Chelsea Grady paced the offense after going 1-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs. Timi Carone added a pair of triples, while Kayla Daigle contributed two hits and one RBI. Sarah Voorhis led the Badgers with a double and one RBI.
Castleton wasted little time to take its first lead of the game, as Grady notched a two-run single to put the hosts out in front in the bottom of the first. With one on and one out, Brittany Brayman singled to centerfield and advanced to second on a throw to third to put two runners in scoring position. Grady followed with a two-run knock to left center to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead.
Johnson St. responded in the top half of the second with its first run of the game to close the gap to one. After Kristy McDonnell grounded out to start the frame, Shannon Grier doubled to right center before Voorhis brought her home with a two-base hit down the right field line to make it 2-1.
The game remained scoreless until the fifth and sixth innings when Castleton pushed across three more runs to take a 5-1 lead.
Jessica Babcock and Brayman led off the fifth with back-to-back singles up the middle to put two on with one out for Grady. The junior then stepped up to the plate and drove home her third RBI of the day with a deep grounder to the left side of the infield to extend the Spartan advantage back to two.
After back-to-back outs to start the sixth, Carone tripled off the fence in right center, and in the next at-bat, Kristi Lawless sent a drive to deep right that the outfielder couldn't handle, allowing Carone to score. Daigle drove another run across later in the frame, and Wood pitched a perfect seventh to secure a 5-1 Spartan victory.
In game two, the Spartans fell down early by three, but a six-run second inning lifted the squad to an eventual 7-3 victory over the Badgers.
Taylor Paquette started the game for Castleton, giving up three runs in just two innings pitched. Wood relieved in her the third and pitched five innings of shutout baseball while striking out eight to record her 13th win of the year. For Johnson St., Williams suffered her second loss of the day after giving up seven runs in five innings of work.
The Badgers got off to a quick start in the contest, as they scored three times in the opening two frames to take a three-run lead. With two on and two out in the top of the first, McDonnell laced a bases-clearing double into the left field gap, scoring the first two runs of the game. Williams followed in the next inning with a solo shot to left center to hand the away side a 3-0 lead.
That lead didn't last long, however, as the Spartan bats came alive in the bottom of the second with six runs to take the lead, 6-3. With the bases loaded and one out, Williams was called for a balk that allowed Lawless to score. Two batters later, Babcock recorded an RBI single, and Brayman knocked home two more runs in the next at-bat to put the hosts' ahead by one.
After Grady walked to put runners on first and third with two down, Katie Gagne capped off the scoring in the frame with a bases-clearing double to deep right center that scored two more runs and handed Castleton a 6-3 lead.
Katie Traver added a pinch hit, RBI single later in the game, as Wood closed out the contest with five consecutive scoreless innings to capture the season sweep over Johnson St. with a 7-3 victory.
With these two wins, Castleton has secured home field advantage for the NAC Tournament and will host the competition with the first games being played on Friday.