CASTLETON, Vt. – Seniors Jonathan Chatfield and Evan McCue hit two-run home runs in consecutive innings to push the Keene State College baseball team in front by six runs, and the Owls got a hit from every person in their starting lineup as they posted a dominant 13-3 Little East Conference road win over Vermont State University Castleton Wednesday afternoon to begin a busy week that includes three more league games over the next three days.

What began as a 1-1 pitchers' duel into the fifth quickly turned into a runaway, as KSC (10-10, 4-1 LEC) scored 12 runs over the final three innings to post a run-rule win over the Spartans (7-17, 2-3 LEC).  The late uprising began with Chatfield's single with one down in the fifth before Otis Follet and Domminic Tagliaferro walked.  Mitchell Coffey then poked a two-run single up the middle into center to give the Owls a lead back and chased reliever Patrick Hallett (3-4).  Coffey then took second with runners at the corners to put two in scoring position, and McCue followed with a two-run double to left to quickly make it 5-1.

Castleton got two back in the bottom half on consecutive one-out RBI singles into left to make it 5-3, but Chatfield launched a two-run homer after Lucas Rogers was plunked with one out in the sixth to get those runs back.  Leading 7-3, Jayke Glidden (2-0) fired a 10-pitch 1-2-3 sixth to keep momentum with KSC – and the Owls bludgeoned the Spartans in the seventh with a six-run, seven-hit frame.  Coffey began the inning with a first-pitch double – one of his three hits – and McCue followed with the second two-run shot in as many innings for the visitors to make it 9-3.  Ultimately, Castleton would watch the first eight Owls of the inning reach, as Jack Harmon, Derek Finlay, and Trevor Snow recorded consecutive singles to load the bases.  Rogers beat out an infield single to plate another before Chatfield's seven-pitch bases loaded walk made it 11-3.  Follet then roped a double to right that plated two more and set up the Owls to end it early – perhaps a big boost as they kick off a stretch of six games in five days including a rescheduled doubleheader at Plymouth State University tomorrow and a pair against the University of Southern Maine at home on Saturday.
Glidden, who struck out five in 5.1 innings while allowing three hits and three runs to get the win, then set down the Spartans in order in the sixth, retiring the final eight in a row.  Jake Jachym started and went 27 pitches, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings while allowing a hit and a walk.

The Owls' deep and potent offensive lineup proved to be once again today, as they had four multi-hit efforts and saw all nine starters record at least one hit.  Snow finished 2-for-5 out of the leadoff spot, while Chatfield was 2-for-4 with the homer, three RBI, a walk, and two runs.  Coffey finished 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI, while McCue was 2-for-5 with a double and home run.  Harmon (5-for-11 in four career games) and Finlay also each reached twice out of the bottom two spots in the order.

Snow doubled on the second pitch of the game and moved to third on Follet's fly out to center, setting up a first and third situation in which he scored when Rogers was intentionally caught stealing with two outs in the first to get KSC on the board.  Castleton tied it on Justin Strozyk's homer with one out in the fourth, but lost their third straight to the Owls – losing their last two in Vermont against KSC by a combined score of 31-4.

"Jayke Glidden was very good again, worked through some trouble and gave us some length," said Owls head coach Justin Blood.  "McCue swung the bat very well and Chatfield's homerun was big when we needed some separation.  Good production up and down the lineup again today."

KSC's twinbill tomorrow in Plymouth begins at 11:00 a.m.  PSU (1-11, 0-3 LEC) lost 21-3 to Southern Maine, who is 7-0 in the LEC and will face the Owls in Keene Saturday, today in Gorham.