NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University baseball team built multiple sizable leads and piled up 15 runs on 15 hits Thursday afternoon at Garrity Field, but Vermont State University Castleton stormed back with a massive ninth inning to hand the Cadets a 24-15 loss in a wild non-conference contest.

In the first meeting between the two programs on Garrity Field since Apr. 19, 2016, Norwich appeared in control for much of the afternoon, leading by as many as eight runs before the Spartans erased the deficit and pulled away with a 13-run outburst in the final frame.

Geffen Franus (Leesburg, Va.) powered the Norwich offense with a 4-for-5 performance, driving in five runs and stealing three bases.  Trevor Lussier (Lyndonville, Vt.) added two hits, two RBIs, and two runs scored, while John O'Connor (Southington, Conn.) drove in two and reached base twice.  Dante Hernandez (New Braunfels, Texas) also turned in a strong showing, scoring three times and knocking in a run, while Jon Ringer (Cupertino, Calif.) scored twice and collected a pair of hits.

VTSU Castleton struck first in the opening inning, taking advantage of early traffic on the bases to grab a 1-0 edge.  Norwich answered immediately in the bottom half.  Franus came home on an RBI single through the right side by O'Connor, and Lussier later scored on a wild pitch to push the Cadets in front, 2-1.

Norwich then broke the game open in the second with a seven-run inning.  Franus lined a two-run single to right to score Ringer and Kevin Ohlsen (Shirley, N.Y.), O'Connor and Kyle Tanis (Shelburne, Vt.) each drew RBI walks, Swaine lifted a sacrifice fly, and Jack Lang (Aurora, Ohio) capped the surge with a two-run double through the right side as the Cadets opened a 9-1 advantage.

The Spartans answered with four runs in the third to trim the gap, but Norwich kept swinging.  Franus plated another run on a groundout later in the inning, and Lussier followed with an RBI single up the middle to restore an 11-5 cushion.

VTSU Castleton again chipped away in the fourth, using a three-run homer to cut the deficit to 11-8, yet Norwich continued to find answers.  Hernandez singled home Domenic Swaine (Leominster, Mass.) in the bottom of the inning, and Lussier later worked a bases-loaded walk to make it 13-8.

Franus added another RBI single in the sixth to stretch the lead to 14-8, and after the Spartans pushed across three runs in the seventh to get within 14-11, Norwich manufactured what looked like an important insurance run in the eighth.  Franus came through once more with a run-scoring single to plate Ohlsen and give the Cadets a 15-11 edge heading into the ninth.

From there, the game turned sharply.

VTSU Castleton sent 18 batters to the plate in the top of the ninth and erupted for 13 runs to seize control for good.  The Spartans strung together timely hits, took advantage of walks and hit batters, and capitalized on wild pitches to flip the game from a four-run deficit into a 24-15 advantage.

Norwich was unable to answer in the bottom half, as the Spartans completed the comeback victory.

Franus finished his standout day 4-for-5 with five RBIs and three stolen bases to lead the Cadets offensively.  Lussier went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs scored, and two walks, while O'Connor drove in two and Lang added a two-run double.  Hernandez posted a 2-for-4 effort with three runs scored and an RBI, and Ringer also collected two hits in the loss.

The Cadets did not commit an error in the field and matched their season-long offensive rhythm for much of the day, but Vermont State University Castleton capitalized on 19 hits and 11 walks to pull away late.

Norwich will return to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play on Saturday, Apr. 25, hosting New England College in a pivotal doubleheader on Garrity Field that will also serve as Senior Day.  Game one is slated for 12:00 p.m.  Prior to first pitch, Norwich will honor Nathan Abbott (Durham, Maine), Geffen Franus, Trevor Lussier, Jack Medhurst (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), John O'Connor, Kevin Ohlsen, Isaac Parker (Jay, Maine), and Michael Sabasteanski (Ashburn, Va.) as part of the Senior Day festivities.