The Castleton State College softball team is trying to find a rhythm to its season early on. The fact that over half of the games that were scheduled to play in Florida were canceled due to the rain isn’t helping. Despite that, though, the Spartans prepared for their double header versus the number 14 nationally ranked Coast Guard Bears with confidence on March 20.

In the first game, the Spartans found themselves up against the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference New England Pitcher and Rookie of the year, Hayley Feindel. Senior, Hillary Bemis got the nod for Castleton in game one of the double header.

Castleton played solid early, managing to keep the game tied at zero until the bottom of the fifth inning.

The Spartans gave up five runs in the inning. The biggest damage was a two-run single from the Bears’ Becky Miller. Holli Bastinck and Megan Cook each had RBI singles in the inning, and Amanda Fredrick had a RBI double for the Bears as well.

Miller added another RBI in the sixth inning which sealed the deal for the Bears, clinching the 6-0 victory over Castleton.

Feindel threw the second no-hitter of her career against the Spartans in the first game.

Bemis pitched six innings with five strikeouts, giving up three earned runs.

Feindel, who was going strong at the end of game one, continued to pitch into the second game of the day.

The Coast Guard team came out strong early in game two as they scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning off of Spartan freshman Taylor Lively.

The Spartans got their first run of the day when Shannon Jipner blasted a solo home run in the fourth inning.

For Lively, it was her second appearance this year, and she pitched six innings with two strikeouts in the game.

Despite the loss, coach John Werner was proud of the team’s effort.

“We competed hard against a nationally ranked team” said Werner.

The Spartans next game of the weekend was against Wentworth College on March 21.

Werner and Wentworth College coach Bob Long are quite familiar with each other as they both coach the men’s soccer team for their respective schools.

“After we played in the ECAC [soccer] Championship game last fall, I asked him if we could play each other in the spring time as well,” said Werner.

The Spartans fell in that game as well by a score of 2-1.

The Spartans’ first home game is on March 24 against Skidmore College. First pitch is to be thrown at 3:30 p.m.