CASTLETON, Vt. – The Spartans scored 29 runs on the day and extended their winning streak to 20 games with a North Atlantic Conference doubleheader sweep – 14-0, 15-1 – over the Lyndon Hornets this afternoon at Spartan Field.
With the two victories, Castleton has now won at least 28 games in each of the last five seasons and currently stands at 28-9 overall and 20-2 in the conference. The Hornets, meanwhile, drop to 9-26 (5-17 NAC) on the year and will host the Spartans tomorrow afternoon at 1 pm to close out the season series.
Game One
Devin Hayes turned in a dominating performance and the Spartans tallied 16 hits en route to an impressive 14-0 victory in the opening game of the home-and-home series. The junior right-hander tossed a complete game shutout with just three hits allowed and four strikeouts to pick up his fourth win of the season. Davis Guyer took the loss after allowing 14 runs in 5.2 innings of work.
Zach Bahan and Dan Errico led the attack. Bahan turned in a career day, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, five RBIs and three runs scored, while Errico recorded a triple with two RBIs and two runs scored. Nick Swim delivered a 2-for-3 performance, and Dillon Benham produced his second double of the season with a pair of runs driven in. For Lyndon, Andre Eason Jr. accounted for two of the squad's three hits and swiped two bags.
Castleton wasted little time to take the lead, scoring four runs from five hits in the bottom of the first. Deagan Poland led off the frame with a single to left center before advancing to third on a failed pickoff. Taylor Vile then brought him home with a sacrifice fly to deep left. Two batters later, Errico ripped a run-scoring triple to right center, followed by back-to-back RBI doubles from Bahan and Jim Buckley to hand the hosts a 4-0 lead.
The Spartans maintained their hot start in the next inning, pushing across another three runs to go in front by seven. Benham doubled to right center to begin the second before Poland's bunt advanced him to third. On the very next pitch, Benham scored thanks to a balk from Guyer. Later in the frame, Errico and Bahan drove home a pair of runs to give Castleton a seven-run advantage.
After tacking on two more runs in the fourth and fifth innings of play, Castleton's bats exploded for five runs in the bottom of the sixth. Bahan's single through the left side of the infield brought home the first two runs before Nick Patierne and Benham drove in a combined three runs to bring the game to its final score, 14-0.
Game Two
The Spartans carried the offensive momentum into game two, compiling 14 hits and scoring 15 runs to capture the doubleheader sweep with a 15-1 victory. Steven Jurkiewicz picked up his fifth win of the season after going seven innings with just four hits and one earned run. John Boulay, meanwhile, gave up 11 runs (ten earned) in the losing effort.
At the plate, Poland turned in a 3-for-5 display with three runs scored, while Swim extended his hitting streak to 27 games with two hits and two RBIs. Bahan maintained his hot bat in game two, going 1-for-3 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. For Lyndon, Devon Rollins and David Laroche recorded one double apiece, while Ryan Cordeiro scored the lone run of the day.
The Hornets took the initial lead after Cordeiro scored on a throwing error in the top of the first, but the Spartans immediately responded with an RBI groundout from Swim to tie the game at one.
Castleton produced back-to-back five run innings in the third and fourth frames to jump in front, 11-1. The Spartans had three runs score in the third thanks to a pair of balks and a passed ball before Buckley ripped a two-run single to cap off the frame. In the fourth, Errico took a bases-loaded walk to score the first run before Bahan smashed a bases-clearing double to deep left field. Buckley then pushed the hosts' lead to ten in the next at-bat with an RBI single to left center.
The Spartans were able to manufacture four more runs in the final two innings of play, as Jurkiewicz closed out the contest with six scoreless innings to secure a second-straight 14-run victory over the Hornets.