Castleton, VT – Husson University baseball won just one of four in a weekend series with Castleton State, gropping a pair on Saturday in North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) East Division action at Spartan Field. Tyler Erickson (Naugatuck, Conn.) earned a complete-game win as Castleton downed Husson 11-6 in the opener, and Peter Wagner (Brattleboro, Vt.) singled home the winning run as the Spartans walked off with win in the nightcap, 5-4. Husson falls to 13-15, and 10-7 in the NEAC East, while Castleton improves to 20-10 overall and 15-1 in conference play.
Erickson allowed six runs (two earned) , scattering ten hits and a walk while striking out eight and hitting three to improve to 5-2.
Husson starter Joe Stanevicz (Bangor, Maine) was saddled with the loss, pitching five-plus innings and allowing eight earned on seven hits and five walks, while striking out two and hitting three.
Erickson induced a pair of ground outs to open the game, and appeared to be headed for a clean inning but an error extended things and Nick Lancisi (Dover, Maine) made it hurt, belting a two-run homerun to deep centerfield.
Castleton tied the score in the second as Pete Wagner (Brattleboro, Vt.) singled through the right side with one out and Allen White (Rutland, Vt.) followed with a walk. Macyn Clifford (Brookline, N.H.) laced the first pitch he saw back through the middle, glancing off the head of Stanevicz and landing just behind second base. Wagner came around to score on the play and White moved to third on the play at the plate.
Stanevicz was checked extensively by the training staff, but remained in the game and after walking the first batter he faced, induced a pair of ground outs, one which scored White, to escape the big inning.
A pair of walks gave the Spartans life in the fourth, but with two outs Jake Arthers (Belfast, Maine) made a diving catch on a David Brandt (Contoocook, N.H.) line drive up the middle to extinguish the rally.
Erickson ran into trouble in the fifth, with one out and a runner on first, a dropped foul ball gave Arthers new life and he deposited the next pitch into rightfield for a single. Lancisi was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Shawn Smith (Winterport, Maine) smacked a two-run single to give the Eagles the lead back. A Josh Tardiff (Hampden, Maine) single brought home the third run of the inning to give Husson a 5-2 lead.
Castleton scored five runs in the bottom of the inning as Zak Mayo (Avon, Conn.) singled home the first run, and was followed by a two-run double by Wagner deep to the right-centerfield gap. A walk and a hit batsman loaded the bases, and Brandt brought home pair with a sharp single through the left side.
After Husson grabbed a run in its half of the sixth, Castleton broke the game open with four more in the bottom half on a three-run homerun by Mayo and a solo shot by White.
Stanevicz was lifted after allowing a single to the first batter he faced in the sixth, and relief-pitcher Kyle Bishop (Waterville, Maine) hit a batter to start his outing, followed by a sacrifice bunt from Borowski. Mayo followed with a no-doubter over the left-centerfield wall after a dropped foul ball gave him new life, and with two outs White deposited a line drive over the rightfield fence.
McInnis finished 2-for-3 while Lancisi and Smith each drove in a pair of runs to lead the Eagles. Mayo went 2-for-4 with four RBI, and Wagner drove in two with two hits while Brandt collected three RBI on a 1-for-4 day.
Castleton trailed early in the nightcap, but rode the solid relief pitching of freshman Derek Osborne (Springfield, Vt.) and the timely hitting of Clifford and Wagner to the win.
Osborne came on to start the fifth and retired the first seven batters he faced before a one-out triple to rightfield by Dylan Foster (Oakland, Maine) followed by a wild pitch tied the game at 4-4 in the seventh. In the bottom of the inning Zielinski singled with one out, and Mayo followed with a two-out single through the right side moving Zielinski to third. With Mayo in motion, Wagner laced a single through the right side past a diving Arthers for the walk-off win.
Husson broke through for three runs in the fourth as Arthers doubled off the leftfield fence and Lancisi was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Smith then smacked a double to the right-centerfield gap and Tardiff followed with a ringing single that plated Lancisi and moved Smith to third. Jordan Carter (Ellsworth, Maine) brought home the final run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to rightfield before Riley settled in to retire the final two batters he faced.
A Wagner sacrifice fly made it 3-1 in the fourth and Clifford belted his first homerun to lead off the fifth to make it 3-2. A pair of walks and an error then loaded the bases and Borowski brought home the equalizer after being hit by a pitch.
Clifford gave the Spartans the lead for with his second solo shot of the game, a towering fly ball to leftfield in the sixth.
