Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz softball team (15-10, 8-2 SUNYAC) lost its first two State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) games of the 2013 season on Saturday afternoon at Mary Gray Deane Field, suffering a doubleheader sweep at the hands of The College at Brockport (13-8, 7-1 SUNYAC). The Golden Eagles prevailed, 3-2, in game one before topping the Hawks, 4-0, in the nightcap.

Brockport scored the go-ahead run in game one off a solo home run in the fifth inning, and it held on to claim the victory. New Paltz had its fair share of chances to increase its run total, leaving 10 runners on base.

The Hawks hopped out to a 1-0 lead in the home half of the first. Sophomore left fielder Noelle Grande (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) drew a walk with the bases empty, and a double by senior second baseman Melissa Liotta (Brentwood, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) to left field brought her in.

Brockport responded with a pair of runs in the top of the second, though, as Erika Lazzaro plated two runs with the bases loaded. The Golden Eagles reloaded the bags with a Caitlyn Rana single in the ensuing at-bat, but New Paltz registered two straight outs to end the inning.

With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, New Paltz tied the game, with junior first baseman Chelsea Kull (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) coming home on a wild pitch. Sarah Rosenbarker gave Brockport the lead back the next inning, as she blasted a two-out, solo home run to right center. The Hawks placed runners on base in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, but they were unable to record the equalizer.

Sophomore right fielder Marissa Monaco (Bohemia, N.Y./Connetquot) and Kull paced the Hawk attack in game one. Monaco batted 2-for-4, while Kull went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a double. For Brockport, Lazzaro (2-for-3, two RBI) and Rana (2-for-3) each boasted multi-hit games.

Senior pitcher Amber Carozza (Milton, N.Y./Marlboro) suffered the game-one loss, yielding three runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out two. Jaime Berger claimed the win, permitting two runs—one of which was earned—on seven hits, four walks and a hit by pitch while striking out nine.

New Paltz mustered just three hits in the nightcap, while Brockport scored twice in the third and once in the fourth and the sixth.

Brockport broke the scoreless stalemate in the third, as it scored two runs on back-to-back at-bats. Emily Dumas plated Rana with a single to right field before Rosenbarker executed a squeeze play to perfection, laying down a bunt that pushed across Brianna Ferchen.

Ferchen made it a 3-0 game in the fourth, scoring Julie Arnold with a single to left center, while Rana singled up the middle with the bases loaded in the sixth to plate Brianna Harris. The Hawks were able to minimize the damage in the sixth, retiring three straight batters after giving up four consecutive singles.

New Paltz tried to stage a rally in the seventh, as sophomore third baseman Meg Brewer (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) singled to center field with two outs. Senior designated player Andrea Feeney (Ulster Park, N.Y./Kingston) then reached on a throwing error by the pitcher, and on that play, Brewer moved up to third. The Golden Eagles wound up ending the game on a foul out to the first baseman.

Three different players accounted for the Hawks' hit total, while Rana (2-for-3, one run scored, one RBI) and Ferchen (2-for-4, one run scored, one RBI) each had multi-hit performances for Brockport. The Golden Eagles did not register any extra-base hits in game two, nor did they strike out any New Paltz batters.

Freshman pitcher Katie Rutcofsky (Plainview, N.Y./Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy) was tagged with the loss, giving up four runs—three of which were earned—on eight hits, a walk and a hit by pitch while striking out six. Korey Kibling scattered three hits and issued one walk in the shutout victory.

New Paltz returns to action tomorrow, as it faces SUNY Geneseo in a SUNYAC twinbill at Mary Gray Deane Field. The first pitch of game one is set for 11 a.m.