Spartans beat Cadets twice
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Castleton State College baserunner Mathew Pause gets a mouthful of dirt while diving safely into third base during the first game of a doubleheder against Norwich University on Wednesday. ALBERT J. MARRO / RUTLAND HERALD |
Toolbox
By Carleton Laird Staff Writer - Published: April 8, 2010
Wednesday's baseball doubleheader between Castleton and Norwich were two divergent games. The Spartans pushed runs across in every inning of the opener en route to a 19-0 victory, but only scored in one inning in the nightcap. Still, it was enough for an 8-2 victory and a sweep of the Cadets.
Pitching ruled the day for the Spartans, who continued their hot play. They have won seven straight and 10 of 11 after starting 0-7. Senior Ken Cook was dominant in the first game while Billy Sisko and two others held Norwich at bay in the second.
"Every pitcher that threw today did a nice job," Castleton coach Ted Shipley said. "We hit the ball, which is nice to see. We've been a little inconsistent."
Cook, from Springfield, scattered three hits over five innings in the opener, while striking out nine and walking one. Patrick Riley finished up, allowing two hits.
Billy Manley wielded the big bat, crushing a grand slam just inside the left-field foul pole in the second to key a five-run inning. He also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Castleton plated a pair in the first on Garrett Bissonnette's two-out double and Manley drove Norwich starter David Wygonski from the game with his two-out blast in the second.
The Spartans scratched out another run in the third against Austin Shaw on David Brandt's single and got one more in the fourth on a Ted Mills single.
Don Dibastiani came on to pitch the fifth and was treated rudely. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Matt Eisenhuth and he drove a two-bagger over the third-base bag for two runs. Manley hit a sac-fly and runs scored on a Mills single and a double by Mathew Pause.
Jack Lancelin led off the sixth with a stand-up triple to center and one-out singles by DJ Detweiler and Bissonnette knocked Dibistiani out. Reliever Ryan Kelly fared no better, though, as a hit batsman and a pair of walks forced in two runs.
A Brandt single and a sacrifice fly by Ryan Zielinski completed the five-run inning.
Dustin Shimkus and Joe Sleeman had doubles for the Cadets, who had just five hits.
"We've been on and off hitting," Norwich coach John Rhoades said.
Sisko and Brad Hudson were hooked up in a pitchers' duel into the third inning of the nightcap. Zielinski beat out a tapper to open the Spartans' first but was caught stealing. Lancelin followed with a single but Hudson, a reliever who got his first start of the season, got the next two hitters and escaped.
The Cadets got to Sisko for a run in the third as David Maxfield drew a one-out walk and scored on a Rob Knox two-out double up the gap in right-center. That was all he would allow, going four innings and giving up three hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
Then the roof caved in on Hudson. Zielinski singled to open the third and Lancelin and Manley walked before Bissonnette singled home two. Eisenhuth walked, Cameron Curler singled home a run and Pause hooked one around the right-field foul pole for a two-run homer. The eighth run scored on an error.
But the freshman Hudson settled down and shut the Spartans out the rest of the way. Unfortunately, his teammates could only get him one more run.
"Our freshman, Brad Hudson, did a nice job," Rhoades said.
The Cadets' other run came in the fifth against Dustin Aker, who had just come on. Two walks and an error loaded the bases, and Maxfield came home on Kase Cook's fielder's choice. Aker went two innings, giving up the unearned run, one hit and two walks.
Kenny McIlroy closed out the seventh, fanning the first two and inducing a flyout to end the game.
"They've always had good pitching," Rhoades said of Castleton. "Coach Shipley does a great job with his staff. And they played good defense."
The Spartans are now 12-8 and host UMaine-Presque Isle Friday at 1 p.m. Norwich falls to 2-18 and hosts Albertus Magnus Saturday at 1 p.m.
carleton.laird@rutlandherald.com
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