BANGOR, Maine — The Castleton State College Spartans let the Husson University Eagles know they are ready to defend their North Atlantic Conference title this weekend by taking three of four at the Winkin Baseball Complex.
The Spartans, 4-2 and 2-0 winners on Saturday, rebounded from a five-error 6-3 loss on Sunday morning to post a come-from-behind 7-4 triumph in the second game.
CSC is now 6-8 overall and 3-1 in the conference while Husson fell to 12-9 and 1-3.
“I’m stoked. I’m really happy with [the three wins],” said Spartans junior first baseman Ted Mills, who drove in three runs in the nightcap with a fielder’s choice and two-run single.
“We might have been too hyped up,” said Husson senior catcher-designated hitter Nick Arthers. “We didn’t play relaxed. We were too tense.
“But this is something we can learn from,” Arthers added.
“This was huge,” said CSC junior right fielder Garrett Bissonnette from Lyman. “We feel Husson is our top competition within the conference. We’re the top two teams.
“After making five errors in the first game, we needed to clamp down defensively in the second game and we did that. And we got a good game from our pitcher [Billy Sisko],” he added.
Bissonnette’s two-out RBI single in the nightcap tied it 1-1 in the fourth and the Spartans broke the tie with three runs in the sixth.
Singles by Kyle Brooks and Dan Conley chased starter Kyle Leeman and reliever Ryan Walker walked Aaron Zrenda.
Walker struck out Bissonnette but Mills’ infield bouncer produced a run.
A potential inning-ending foul popup was dropped by first baseman Dennis Graham and bases-loaded walks issued by Walker and Dan Beatham produced two more runs.
“I was watching the runner and lost the position of the ball so it tipped off my glove,” said Graham.
Mills’ ground-ball single to center through a drawn-in infield delivered two of the three seventh-inning runs as the lead expanded to 7-2.
“Coach [Ted Shipley] had told me to choke up and just try to hit line drives right up the middle,” said Mills.
Conley had a double and three singles for CSC; Bissonnette doubled and singled and Brooks and Mitch Thresher had two singles each.
Arthers had an RBI single in the third and a two-run double in the seventh and Graham doubled home a sixth-inning run off Sisko, who pitched a complete-game six-hitter.
In the opener, Chris Pease tossed a complete-game seven-hitter, retiring 10 of the last 12 hitters he faced.
“They were sitting on my fastball so I threw more curves and changeups and they were both [working] good today. The umpire was giving me the outside corner quite a bit,” said Hampden senior righty Pease, who struck out three and walked one.
“He got ahead in the count and kept throwing us breaking balls and changeups and he got us out with them,” said Bissonnette.
CSC’s errors led to three unearned runs.
Tom Crews and Jeff Miller paced Husson’s attack. Crews had two singles, a sacrifice fly and two RBIs and Miller tripled and singled and scored twice.
“I’ve been out for a week and a half with a sprained ankle. It’s good to be back on the field. I saw the ball pretty well,” said Crews.