Box Score (Game 1)
Box Score (Game 2)

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – A costly throwing error by Union (N.Y.) College off of a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the ninth in game two of a non-conference doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at Mary Gray Deane Field allowed the State University of New York at New Paltz softball team (13-17) to salvage a split with Union (10-20). The Dutchwomen won game one, 8-5, before the Hawks engineered a nine-inning, 5-4 victory in the nightcap.

Sophomore pitcher Gillian Davidoff (Oceanside, N.Y.) was the hero of game two, as she came in to one-hit Union in the top of the ninth before laying down the game-winning sacrifice bunt. With freshman right fielder Melissa Kump (Glendale, N.Y.) placed on second, Davidoff led off the bottom of the ninth with a sacrifice bunt. The catcher misfired on a throw to first, allowing Kump to round third and dart for home. Davidoff reached second safely, and Kump came across, giving the Hawks a thrilling comeback win.

Down 2-1 for most of game two, New Paltz leveled the tally in the bottom of the sixth, as junior third baseman/designated player Samantha Barra (Islip, N.Y.) hit a low-arcing ball that dropped right in front of the catcher in fair territory, driving in senior center fielder/pitcher Jillian Gallagher (Buchanan, N.Y.) in the process.

The Hawks left the bases loaded in the seventh, which forced extra innings. Union scored on two separate wild pitches in the eighth, but freshman second baseman/designated player Chelsea Kull (Manorville, N.Y.) evened the score in the home half of the inning with a two-run double. With her pitch count up, Gallagher was relieved from the circle in the ninth in favor of Davidoff, who came in and held the Dutchwomen scoreless. Gallagher did her part, though, in keeping Union off the board in the frame, as she heaved a dead-on throw to the catcher after a single to retire the runner trying for home.

Davidoff gained the win in the circle for the Hawks in one inning of relief work, but Gallagher did most of the heavy lifting on the contest. She allowed four runs—two of which were earned—off four hits, 10 walks and six wild pitches across eight innings of duty. Gallagher also struck out four.

For Union, Amanda Blake was the tough-luck loser, giving up five runs—two of which were earned—off nine hits, two walks and a hit by pitch in eight innings of action. Blake fanned four batters as well in her complete-game effort.

New Paltz pounded out nine hits, with Barra and junior third baseman Shelby Martin (New Paltz, N.Y.) leading the way by going 2-for-3 and 2-for-4, respectively. Kump scored twice, while Kull plated two runs. For the Dutchwomen, Carson Mehl went 2-for-2 with two runs scored.

Union dominated most of game one, answering New Paltz's game-opening run in the bottom of the first with eight unanswered.

After Union scored a run in the second, Samantha Chevalier and Alyssa Wolejko had back-to-back RBI singles in the third before Chevalier completed the inning's scoring by coming across on a wild pitch. After the third, Union took a 4-1 lead. The advantage continued to swell with a run in the fourth and two runs in the fifth, as Nina Cervini hit a two-run double to put the Dutchwomen on top, 7-1. They tacked on an insurance run in the top half of the sixth, but the Hawks almost clawed back in the bottom of the seventh.

Barra reaching on a catcher's interference set the stage for an exciting inning. Junior first baseman Cassie Barcavage (Cold Spring, N.Y.) drove in two runs with a single to left, and freshman right fielder Emily Frawley (White Plains, N.Y.) and freshman second baseman Alyssa Quartuccio (New Windsor, N.Y.) each pushed across runs on ground outs to pull the Hawks within three. Union, however, forced an infield pop up to end the inning, prevailing in the first contest of the day.

Alyssa Wolejko earned the win in the circle for the Dutchwomen, pitching a complete game over seven innings. She allowed five runs—three of which were earned—off five hits, four walks and three wild pitches. In addition, she recorded a game-high eight strikeouts. Wolejko held a one-hitter through six innings of action.

For New Paltz, senior pitcher Courtney Costello (Bayport, N.Y.) was shouldered with the defeat, yielding four runs off five hits, one walk and two wild pitchers over three frames of work while striking out three. Davidoff took over and tossed the final four innings in relief.

Offensively, Union stuffed the stat sheet, collecting 12 hits on the tilt. Rachel Noall (2-for-5), Chevalier (2-for-3, three runs, two RBI), Wolejko (2-for-4, one RBI), Callie Haywood (2-for-4, one run, one RBI) and Cervini (2-for-4, three RBI) all had multi-hit outings for the Dutchwomen, while four Hawks had a hit.

New Paltz returns to action tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m., hosting non-conference Western Connecticut State University in a doubleheader at Mary Gray Deane Field.