Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – In the State University of New York at New Paltz softball team's (14-26, 6-12 SUNYAC) final day of competition in the 2012 regular season, the Hawks split decisions in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) doubleheader play against SUNY Oswego (13-20, 7-9 SUNYAC) Saturday afternoon at Mary Gray Deane Field. New Paltz lost game one by a 4-3 margin before picking up the victory in game two, 2-1.

Prior to the doubleheader, New Paltz honored its six members of the senior class of 2012: left fielder Kristen Schork (Warwick, N.Y./Warwick Valley), right fielder Victoria Holm (Floral Park, N.Y./Floral Park Memorial), catcher Jenna Curcio (Conklin, N.Y./Susquehanna Valley), first baseman Cassie Barcavage (Cold Spring, N.Y./Haldane) and third basemen Shelby Martin (New Paltz, N.Y./New Paltz) and Samantha Barra (Islip, N.Y./Islip).

Game one was a back-and-forth affair that featured three lead changes between the teams. Oswego got a run on the board early by plating Brittany Carbacio in the top of the first inning. With one out recorded, Carbacio reached on a walk, advanced to second base on a single by Sammie Schroeter and then stole third on a pickoff attempt by Curcio to first base. Carbacio scored on a fielder's choice by Dee Apps.

Starting junior pitcher Amber Carozza (Milton, N.Y./Marlboro) stayed out of any further trouble until the fourth inning, when back-to-back singles by the Lakers' Sue Schoff (who was then pinch ran for by Mauren Lenehan) and Justine Abramowski put runners on first and second with no outs. After a sacrifice bunt by Sarah Thayer advanced both runners, Lenehan scored on a sacrifice fly by Katie Bredin to center field. The Hawks escaped any further issues, but still trailed by a 2-0 margin after midway through the fourth frame.

New Paltz pulled even with the Lakers in the bottom of the fourth. Junior shortstop Melissa Liotta (Brentwood, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) led off the inning with a walk and was moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by freshman center fielder Shayna Burgess (Smithtown, N.Y./Commack) to the third baseman. Liotta then scored from second on a wild pitch, as the ball skidded around the backstop. After a flyout, sophomore first baseman Chelsea Kull (Manorville, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) doubled to right-center field and was run for by sophomore Emily Collazo (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow). Collazo then scored on a single by Martin to left field to tie the game. Martin advanced to third when the left fielder erred in fielding the ball, but was stranded after a walk and a groundout.

Holm started the New Paltz half of the fifth with a leadoff double to left-center field. Freshman Noelle Grande (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa), her pinch runner, advanced to third base after a Curcio single, with Curcio advancing to second on the throw. Curcio was then given her own pinch runner, freshman Juliette Verso (Commack, N.Y./Commack). In the next at-bat, Liotta plated Grande with a sacrifice fly to left field to give the Hawks their first lead of the afternoon, 3-2. Verso, who moved up to third on the sacrifice, was mowed down by a fielder's choice in the next at-bat by Burgess, preventing New Paltz from building on its lead. Burgess later stole second base to put herself in scoring position, but the Lakers snuffed out any further threat in the inning.

Oswego took the lead for good in the top half of the sixth frame, scoring two runs to reach the final margin of 4-3. Schoff walked to begin the inning and was followed by an Abramowski single to put runners on first and second with no outs. Thayer grounded into a fielder's choice to third base, but Barra's throw sailed past Liotta covering the third base bag, allowing Schoff to score. Bredin singled to load the bases before pinch hitter B. Radley rapped into another fielder's choice at third base. Barra went home with the throw, but Abramowski beat out the throw. With only one out recorded and the bases still loaded, Carozza induced two more fielder's choice groundouts to end the inning without any more runs scored.

New Paltz couldn't retaliate in the later innings and was only able to get the tying run to second base in the seventh inning. Carozza took the complete-game loss, allowing nine hits and four runs (two earned) while striking out one Laker. Ashley Snyder, who started as the designated player before moving to the circle, took the win in 3 1/3 innings of relief, allowing three hits and one run with two strikeouts. Thayer started at pitcher for the Lakers, hurling 3 2/3 innings of two-hit, two-run ball.

In game two, the Hawks struck first in the bottom of the second frame. Following a flyout, Martin walked before getting knocked in by a double to left-center field by Barcavage. Barcavage advanced to third on the throw before getting run for by Collazo. Collazo quickly scored on a fielding error by the shortstop, allowing Schork to reach safely. Oswego got out of the inning unscathed any further, but still trailed, 2-0.

Oswego looked to rebound quickly in the top of the third with its first two batters of the inning reaching by walk and bunt single, but game two starting pitcher and freshman Meg Brewer (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) got the next three batters out to end the threat. Brewer worked her way out of a similar situation in the fifth inning, with runners on first and second with one out. She retired two consecutive batters to again escape danger.

The Lakers scored their only run of game two in the top of the sixth inning. Nicole Ouellette led off the inning with a single to the right side and later advanced to second base on a wild pitch. After a strikeout, Ouellette reached third safely on a single by Apps. Following a pop out secured by Liotta at shortstop, Ouellette was knocked in by a single through the right side by Schoff. Brewer induced another pop out to end the inning and what would turn out to be the last threat from the Laker lineup.

Brewer earned the complete-game victory in the nightcap, allowing six hits and one run while striking out three Lakers. Thayer and Snyder again combined to throw all six of Oswego's innings pitched, but the starting Thayer was saddled with the loss in 2 1/3 innings pitched of three-hit, two-run ball. Snyder hurled the final 3 2/3 innings without allowing a hit or walk, striking out three New Paltz batters.

After completing her third season at the helm of the New Paltz softball program with a 49-63 record, head coach Denise Marchese finishes the 2012 campaign two wins shy of reaching 200 career victories as a softball head coach. Marchese, formerly head coach of SUNY Oneonta and St. Joseph College in Connecticut, began her tenure at New Paltz with a 149-91-1 record from 1998-2004.