BANGOR, Maine – The Husson University softball team split their North Atlantic Conference (NAC) doubleheader with Castleton University for the straight season on Saturday afternoon at O'Keefe Field. The Eagles won the first game, 3-2 in walk-off fashion when Lyndsay Merrill singled off Kayla Wood in the bottom of eighth inning before dropping the nightcap to the Spartans, 5-2.

Husson extends their home opener first game winning streak to five with the walk-off win in game one, while Castleton ends a two game losing streak to the Eagles and falls to 8-31 in the all-time series.

Game 1: Husson 3, Castleton 2 in Eight Innings

Husson got on the scoreboard first when Sami Cyr hit a RBI single plating Merrill with the Eagles first run of the game as Husson lead 1-0 after four innings. The Spartans would respond quickly in the every next half inning on a RBI double by Timi Carone tying the game at one.

With the game tied at one and the bases load with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Nicole Andrade earned a walk off newly entered Wood giving the Eagles a 2-1 lead. However, the Spartans tied the game once again in the seventh when Jessica Babcock scored on a RBI single by Brittany Brayman.

Wood and Alannah Healy kept the game tied until the bottom of the eighth when Merrill plated Kristen Chipman with a single to left center field giving the Eagles the walk-off win.

For the Eagles, Merrill went a perfect 4-for-4 with a RBI and two runs scored while Cyr accounted for the other Husson hit in the victory. Healy went the distanced in the circle to pick up the win allowing two runs (one earned) off 11 hits with seven punch-outs.

For the Spartans, Babcock went 3-for-4 with a run and a two-bagger, Carone was 2-for-4 with a RBI and two two-baggers, while Brayman and Chelsea Grady each went 2-for-4 in the setback. Taylor Paquette pitched the first 5.1 innings before being replaced by Wood allowed four hits, two earned runs while fanning one. Wood took the lost, her first of the season, allowing one run, one hit with two walks and three punch-outs in 1.2 innings.

Game 2: Castleton 5, Husson 2

Two Eagle miscues in the first inning and RBI singles by Grady in the third and Carone in fourth gave Castleton a 4-0 advantage before Husson cut the lead to 4-2 in the bottom half of the fourth on a Spartan miscue and a RBI double by Elizabeth Richard.

A sacrifice fly by Tori Swaine in the fifth made the game 5-2.

Mallory Conary, Casey Lopes and Richard each had a hit in the game for the Eagles while Lopes and Richard recorded doubles. Healy (3-9) took the lost after yielding five runs (three earned) off 10 hits with a punch-out.

Babcock went 3-for-4 with two runs while Grady and Katie Gagne was 2-for-4 for the Spartans. Wood (1-1) pitched a complete game three hitter while allowing two unearned runs with three walks and 13 strikeouts for the win.

The Eagles return to action on Monday, April 11 when they host the University of Maine at Presque Isle for a non-conference doubleheader at O'Keefe Field. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Castleton is back in action on Sunday, April 10, as it travels to Middlebury for a non-conference doubleheader. Game time is slated for 1 p.m.