TROY, N.Y. –  Junior catcher Quin Garant went 5 for 8 with two doubles to help the 20th-ranked Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) softball team to a doubleheader sweep of Castleton University on Wednesday afternoon at Doris Robison Field. With wins of 13-5 and 6-5, the Engineers have now won 13 in a row and are 15-2 on the season. The Spartans drop to 5-8.

The 13-game winning streak is the second longest in program history, six behind the 2006 squad that collected 19 consecutive victories.

RPI scored in every inning of Game 1, beginning with an RBI-double by freshman Erin Askins in the bottom of the first. The Engineers then scored three in the second, with Kyle Anderson and Veronica DeStefano providing run-scoring hits.

After Castleton got on the board with a run-scoring single off the bat of Miranda Fish in the top of the third, the Engineers answered with four in the bottom half to take an 8-1 lead. Junior Maddie Provencher launched a three-run homer, before a bases-loaded walk to Askins plated the fourth run.

The Spartans cut the deficit to 8-4 in the fourth, behind an RBI-double from Kylie Wright and a two-run two-bagger by Machaila Arjavich.

RPI got two of those runs back in the bottom half, before Anderson singled home one in the fifth for an 11-4 advantage. Castleton scored one run in the top of the sixth, the Engineers brought the game to an end, an inning early, when Provencher lifted a sacrifice fly to center.

In Game 2, Castleton scored the first two runs of the contest, when Jamie Boyle and Kayla Fac each came through with run-scoring hits.

Held scoreless for the first two frames of the day, the Engineers broke through for three runs in the third to take a 3-2 lead. An RBI-ground out from junior Cam Caswell was followed by a two-out, two-run, double by Provencher that scored Steph Cavallaro and Askins.

RPI tacked on two more in the fourth to go up 5-2, with junior Allie Hunt providing a run-scoring to cap the rally. An infield hit by DeStefano that plated Anderson in the sixth for a 6-2 lead.

Castleton then mounted a comeback, which began in the sixth on a line drive double from Devin Millerick that cut the deficit to 6-3. Pinch hitter Makenna Thorne drove an RBI-double to the gap in right center, before Calli Van Gorden singled home Thorne to cut the RPI lead to 6-5.

Sophomore righthander Taylor Spargo (5-0) was able to shut the door, inducing a groundout to end the contest. Wright (3-3) took the loss, allowing six runs (5 earned) on 10 hits over 6.0 innings.

Freshman Jessica Torch tied the school record for steals in a season, swiping four bags in four tries on the day. Her 23 steals matches Steph Vanek's '06 total from 2005. Classmate Erika Holowka (7-1) earned the victory in Game 1, allowing four runs on 10 hits over 5.0 innings.

The Engineers are back on the diamond next Tuesday, when they host Oneonta for a doubleheader (3pm). Castleton visits Skidmore College for two on Saturday (1pm).