NEW PALTZ, NY- The New Paltz baseball team fell today to the Thoroughbreds from Skidmore by the score of 6-2 this afternoon on Loren Campbell Field. The Hawks fall to 14-8 overall while Skidmore improves to 16-5 overall. The Hawks return to the field on Wednesday, April 14th at 4 p.m. against Vassar on Prentiss Baseball Field.
Skidmore took a 2-0 lead with a one run in each of the first two innings. In the first, Jake Mendell started the inning off with a single, but was later caught stealing when catcher Matt O'Neill gunned him down. After a fly ball out, Zack Rudman singled and would score on Brian Lowry double.
In the second, Mike Jaffe led the inning off with a single and pitcher Timmy Chelius got him to ground into a routine 6-4-3 double-play. Leejay Pollacchi bunted his way on and would steal second to get into scoring position. The next batter, Marty Tatkow singled advancing Pollacchi to third. On the next pitch, Tatkow tried to steal second, but O'Neill again gunned down a runner trying to steal. Tatkow was able to score before the tag was applied to Pollacchi.
The Thoroughbreds tacked three more on in the fifth for a 5-0 lead when Rudman hit a three-run homer scoring Tatkow and Mendell. In the sixth, Tatkow singled home Jaffe to give the Thoroughbreds a 6-0 lead.
The Hawks got on the board in the eighth when Zach Homerda led the inning off with a double to center field and would later score on a wild pitch.
In the ninth, the game got interesting. James Bradley took over for Spencer Marcus on the mound and ran into trouble. Bradley walked Paul Merola to start the inning off and Joel Judson doubled to the left center field gap scoring Merola from first as the Hawks cut the lead to 6-2. After a groundout, Bradley walked Thomas Pinnola and was pulled from the game for Zack Rudman. The first batter Rudman faced he walked to load the bases. Rudman would get the next batter swinging for two outs. The next batter, Matt O'Neill slapped a groundball that almost got through the right side of the infield, but Mendell made a great play to throw out O'Neill to end the game.
Judson finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and Boettcher and Homerda each had a hit of their own.
Timmy Chelius (2-2) recorded the loss on the mound, allowing six runs on 12 hits and striking out two in six innings of work. Pat Sylvester pitched the final three innings, allowing one hit and striking out two for the Hawks.
Rudman led the Thoroughbreds from the plate going 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI and Tatkow was 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Adam Cornachione was 2-for-4 and Jaffe finished 2-for-3 with one run.
Starter Spencer Marcus went eight innings, allowing one run on three hits and striking out for to improve to 6-0 on the mound. Bradley pitched a third of an inning, allowing one run on one hit and walking two. Rudman earned his third save of the year, pitching two thirds of an inning, walking one and striking out one.
