KEENE, N.H. – Eight of nine starters recorded a hit, including seven with at least two, as the Keene State College baseball team routed Vermont State University Castleton 19-5 in a Little East Conference contest Tuesday afternoon at the Owl Athletic Complex.
Records
- Keene State: 13-15, 4-4 LEC
- Vermont State Castleton: 3-24, 0-7 LEC
Postgame Interview (Coach Blood)
Postgame Interview (Shea Zina)
How It Happened
Facing a team that had dropped 23 of their first 26 on the season, the Owls left little doubt, overwhelming the Spartans with a 16-hit attack that saw them score seven times in the first and eight times in the sixth, recording season highs in both runs and hits in a single game. Eight different people for KSC also recorded an RBI, with the hot-hitting
Otis Follet knocking in four, and
Shea Zina and
Hamilton Barnes three each. Zina reached base safely five times (two doubles, three hits). The Owls had 28 baserunners overall in six offensive innings.
Evan Cali (2-4, RBI, 2 R, BB),
Brendan Eaton (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB),
Evan McCue (2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, BB),
Joseph Lucas (2-3, RBI), and
Hamilton Barnes (3-3, 3 RBI, 2 R) also contributed multiple hits as part of the barrage.
The Spartans actually took the lead right away, going up 2-0 when Jackson Cardozo and Tyler McLain singled after No. 2 man Hunter Perkins walked. However, it went south for the visitors in a hurry, who trailed 6-2 in the bottom half before they recorded their first out. Cali rolled a single through the right side to get KSC started, and consecutive walks followed. Follet then cleared the bases with a well-hit double into the right field corner as his torrid pace continued.
Tommy Ahlers followed with an RBI single up the middle to make it 4-2, and the Owls tacked on two more on an error off a fielder's choice and a sacrifice fly.
Hamilton Barnes made it 7-2 with another single up the middle, and that was mercifully enough for Adam Winchell, who threw 30 pitches and recorded one out.
None of Castleton's relievers did much to slow down KSC either, as a two-run double from McCue and a Barnes sacrifice fly made it 10-2 in the bottom of the second.
The Spartans got within six on a pair of occasions, the last of which coming at 11-5 in the top of the sixth, but that did not last long, as KSC topped their first inning total by tallying eight in the bottom half. After Ahlers flew to center to lead off the inning, the next six Owls in a row reached, including RBI base hits from Barnes and Eaton that helped make it 14-5. Two walks and a hit batter also brought in runs in that frame, and Zina made it a big individual day at the plate with his line drive double to the right center gap to clear the bases and bring in three for a 19-5 advantage.
Jake Jachym (2-3) got a ton of run support in the win, going 5.2 innings while allowing 10 hits and five runs (two earned). He walked one and struck out four.
Dylan Ellison covered the final 1.1 innings.
Winchell fell to 0-8, allowing four hits and three walks along with the seven runs. Castleton's pitching staff walked eight on the day and needed 145 pitches to get 18 outs.
Around the Horn
- KSC had dropped eight of nine in the series since the Spartans joined the league (had won five of eight before that), scoring 28 combined runs in those games.
- Follet, who now has the highest batting average on the team among qualified players, extended his hitting streak to eight games.
- Ellison has a 3.91 ERA over his first 23 career innings.
- KSC's 19 runs are their most in a game since scoring 25 in a 25-1 victory at Plymouth State University on April 9, 2021.
Up Next
- The Owls travel to take on Mitchell College on Wednesday (April 17) at 3:00 p.m.
- Castleton hosts Union College (N.Y.) on the same day (4:00 p.m.) in what will be their first home game of the season.
