After riding high on a seven-game win streak earlier this month, the VTSU Castleton Spartans baseball team hit a bump in the road with three consecutive losses. 

But on a chilly Wednesday afternoon at home, the Spartans got back on track in commanding fashion, exploding for 15 unanswered runs starting from the bottom of the 4th to rout Williams College 19-4 in a non-conference matchup.

With the win, Castleton improves to 10-17 on the season and reclaims momentum heading into a critical stretch of conference play. The Ephs, who came into the game at 12-8, were stunned by the Spartans’ offensive outburst and could not recover after a fast start.

Williams opened the scoring with two runs in the top of the first, capitalizing on early opportunities. Castleton, however, responded immediately. After Tyler Dubreuil reached base,

Jack Boyle got things going with an RBI double to right field.

Mason Meinke followed with a single up the middle to tie the game. The Spartans took the lead for good after three straight walks—issued to Joe Castellano, Tommie Shaw, and Turner Clews—brought home two more runs to make it 4-2.

The Ephs briefly tied the game with a two-run homer in the second inning, but it would

be the last time they crossed the plate. From there, the Spartans shut the door on both sides of the ball.

Castleton reclaimed the lead in the fourth inning when Jackson Cardozo crushed a triple to center field, scoring Dubreuil and Mikey Raby Jr. A sacrifice fly from Justin Strozyk brought Cardozo home to push the lead to 7-4.

The Spartans added more breathing room in the fifth. With the bases loaded once again, Boyle drew a walk to score a run, and Strozyk delivered a two-run single to extend the lead to 10-4. Castleton continued to pile on in the seventh with another big inning, scoring four more runs thanks to key at-bats from Meinke, Castellano, and Clews.

By the eighth inning, the Spartans showed no signs of slowing down. Boyle doubled in Dubreuil, and Cardozo reached on an error to bring Boyle home. Three consecutive walks tacked on another run before Shaw’s sac fly, and Clews’ fielder’s choice capped the scoring at 19.

On the mound, Stephen Coffey went five innings to earn the win, giving up four runs while holding Williams in check after the second inning. Adam Winchell followed with two solid innings, and Ethan Nichols closed it out with a scoreless eighth and ninth, striking out three.

Castellano led the Spartans at the plate, finishing with three hits and three RBIs. Boyle and Clews each added two hits and three RBIs, while Strozyk chipped in with three RBIs of his own. It was a total team effort, with eight different players driving in runs.

The Spartans  headed to Western Connecticut State on April 19 for a pivotal Little East Conference doubleheader,  that saw the Spartans split the series with a 13-11 win in game one and a 20-14 loss in game two. 

The Spartans next LEC match up is against University of Southern Maine where they will be looking to build off their current success and make a push in the final weeks of the season.