Box ScoreNEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz baseball team (20-16, 9-9 SUNYAC) qualified for the 2011 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Baseball Tournament on Sunday despite losing to SUNY Cortland (30-7, 16-2 SUNYAC), 14-1, in SUNYAC action at Loren Campbell Memorial Field on Senior Day. SUNY Plattsburgh's loss to The College at Brockport following New Paltz's game on Sunday clinched the Hawks' spot in the tournament.
New Paltz secured the No. 4 seed for the conference tournament, which runs from Friday, May 6, through Sunday, May 8, on Cortland's campus. The Hawks will find themselves opposite top-seeded Cortland on Friday at 1 p.m. in a double-elimination-format tournament, with the winner playing at noon on Saturday and the loser playing at 4 p.m. on Friday. Brockport possesses the No. 2 seed, while SUNY Oneonta holds the No. 3 seed. Those two teams will square off at 10 a.m. on Friday. This marks New Paltz's first appearance in the SUNYAC Tournament since 2001.
Against the Red Dragons on Sunday, New Paltz was stymied by Cortland's potent offense. The Red Dragons scored seven runs in the first inning off five hits to put the Hawks in a hole early. Junior shortstop
Paul Merola (Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y.) scored the Hawks' lone run of the day off a balk, coming across in the bottom of the first with two outs. With runners on second and third, New Paltz was unable to add to its tally, and Cortland took a 7-1 lead into the top half of the second. The Red Dragons continued to stuff the run column with one run in the second, two runs in the third, three runs in the fifth and one run in the seventh.
The Hawks used seven different pitchers, with sophomore pitcher
Michael Pinnola (North Babylon, N.Y.) taking the loss after giving up seven runs in the first. Five different pitchers saw action for Cortland, and Michael Mahay notched the win with a one-run, four-hit performance that included three walks and five strikeouts over five innings of work.
Senior second baseman
Dylan Franco (Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.) went 2-for-3 to pace the Hawk attack, while Kris Gentzke was 4-for-5 with three runs scored, two RBI and two doubles for Cortland. The Red Dragons pounded out 17 hits on the day, and 12 different Cortland hitters reached safely by means of a hit.
Prior to the start of the game, New Paltz honored its two seniors, Franco and pitcher
Brett Harrison (Merrick, N.Y.).
The Hawks close out the regular-season portion of their schedule on Tuesday, May 3, against non-conference Skidmore College at 4 p.m. in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
