The Castleton Spartans fell behind 4-0 early to Husson but rallied from behind to take a 6-5 victory and capture the North Atlantic Conference baseball championship Sunday at Spartan Field in Castleton, Vermont.
Husson took a 3-0 lead in the second inning when Christian Corneil and Alex Chapman had run scoring hits and Ryan Rebar hit a sacrifice fly to score another run. Sam Huston made it 4-0 with an RBI double in the top of the third.
The Spartans got on the board with an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth to make it 4-1. The doors would then come off for Husson in the bottom of the sixth as Castleton scored five runs.
Jim Buckley led off with a solo homer to make it 4-2 and then later in the inning Dillon Benham had an RBI single and Taylor Vile walked with the bases loaded to make it 4-4. Dan Errico then reached on a fielders choice to push across another run to put Castleton in the lead at 5-4 and on the play an error by Rebar allow Vile to come across to make it 6-4 Spartans.
Husson got back a run in the top of the eighth when Corneil came across to score on a Spartans error on a ball hit by Chapman to cut the lead to 6-5. Husson got a two out single by Zach Sugar in the ninth but Huston struck out swinging to end the game.
Julien Boone had three hits on the day for Husson while Corneil and Sugar each had a pair. Robert Graff started on the mound for the Eagles and took the loss allowing six runs, only two earned, six hits, four walks and five strikeouts in 5.1 innings as his record finished at 3-4. The Eagles finish the season at 23-21.
Steven Jurkiewicz (6-2) earned the win for the 32-10 Spartans going eight innings and allowing five runs, four earned, 10 hits, two walks and four strikeouts. Michael Labeau got his second save allowing one hit and striking out one in the ninth. Castleton will now wait for the announcement on who they play and when and where in the Division III National Baseball Tournament.
HUSSON 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0- 5 11 3
CASTLETON 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 x- 6 7 2
WP- Jurkiewicz (6-2) LP- Graff (3-4) Sv- Lebeau (2)
Left on base- Husson 10, Castleton 9
