BOSTON, Mass. – Baseball remained atop the Little East Conference standings after earning a 7-4 and 12-2 sweep of Castleton University Saturday afternoon at Monan Park.
 
THE BASICS:
UMass Boston 7, Castleton 4
UMass Boston 12, Castleton 2
 
UMass Boston (13-4, 4-0 LEC)
Castleton (5-10-1, 0-4 LEC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
Saturday's doubleheader saw two of the Beacons better performances this season. Starters Alex Amalfi and Dillon Ryan continued their strong 2022 season posting nine and seven strikeouts respectively on their way to their fourth and second wins.
 
Game one saw UMB jump out to a 4-0 lead in the top half of the first. UMass Boston played as the visitors in both games, since Saturday's contests were supposed to be played in Vermont. Castleton's field is currently unplayable, so the twinbill moved to Boston, with the Spartans still playing as the home team.
 
A two-run double in the bottom of the first and second innings knotted the score at four apiece as Castleton threatened to take over the lead.
 
The second inning rally would prove to be the end of the Spartans scoring, however, as the UMB pitching staff would hold them scoreless on just four hits across the final seven frames.
 
The 4-4 tie was broken in the fourth inning courtesy of an RBI single by Drew Metzdorf. Insurance runs came in the form of an RBI single by Luke Leavitt in the top of the seventh and passed ball in the ninth that allowed Aidan Blake to score.
 
Josh Eastman pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his second save of the season.
 
In the nightcap, the Beacons once again wasted no time scoring. A two-out single by Craig Corliss drove in the top of the first inning drove in the game's first run.
 
While Castleton did even the score at one in the second, that is as close as the score would be for the rest of the evening. A leadoff home run in the third for Metzdorf got the ball rolling for the Beacons. Courtesy of three hits, a walk, and an error, UMB would plate four more runs before an out was recorded in the same frame.
 
Boston would go on to score six runs across the final six frames while allowing just one. The final score of 12-2 gave the Beacons their third win by ten or more points this season.
 
The Beacons' bullpen would combine to strikeout another seven without allowing a run across the final three innings, following Ryan's departure.
 
BY THE NUMBERS:

• All-time the Beacons are now 6-0 against the Spartans
• UMass Boston has outscored the Spartans 56-21 in their previous six meetings
• Amalfi now sits with a 4-1 record on the season, while Ryan is a perfect 2-0
• Leavitt had the best doubleheader of his young career as he went 5-6 with five RBI and a two runs scored. He had a double, a walk, and two stolen bases
• On the day the Beacons combined for 25 hits, 17 RBI, seven doubles, one triple, one home run, and 10 walks respectively
• The Beacons pitchers struck out a total of 27 batters, while only allowed 10 walks, and nine hits respectively. Of the six runs allowed, only four were earned

 
WHO'S NEXT:
UMB will host Endicott College at Monan Park on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.