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BROCKPORT, N.Y. – The fifth-seeded State University of New York at New Paltz softball team (20-19) saw its season come to a close on Thursday afternoon on the first day of the 2013 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament, as the Hawks fell to second-seeded SUNY Cortland (25-14), 5-2, before losing to top-seeded The College at Brockport (22-15), 6-4. The three-day, double-elimination tournament is being hosted by Brockport at the Clark V. Whited Complex.

Cortland moves on to the 11 a.m. game tomorrow, facing third-seeded SUNY Plattsburgh. Both teams won on Thursday. Brockport will square off with either fourth-seeded SUNY Geneseo or the loser of the Cortland-Plattsburgh game at 1 p.m. tomorrow in an elimination game.

New Paltz challenged Cortland in its first game of the day, but a three-run sixth for the Red Dragons ultimately buried the Hawks.

After three scoreless innings, New Paltz took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Sophomore third baseman Meg Brewer (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) walked to lead off the inning, and senior right fielder Andrea Feeney (Ulster Park, N.Y./Kingston) put runners on first and second with an infield single. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, and Brewer came home on a wild pitch to initiate scoring.

Cortland bounced back with two runs in the home half of the fourth, relying on a two-run homer from shortstop Erin Wolstenholme to make it a 2-1 game. The Hawks leveled the tally in the top of the fifth, as Brewer scored sophomore catcher Shayna Burgess (Smithtown, N.Y./Commack) with a single to right field.

The Red Dragons' rally in the bottom of the sixth began with Wolstenholme singling to first base on a bunt, and third baseman Courtney Kadish got aboard on a throwing error. New Paltz then recorded its first out, and pitcher Amber Corrigan walked to loaded the bases. Left fielder Diane Cork drew a bases-loaded walk to give Cortland a 3-2 lead, and a double by first baseman Alicia Hibbard pushed across two runs. New Paltz was retired in order in the seventh, and the Hawks were forced into the elimination game.

Brewer was New Paltz's top producer on offense with a 1-for-3 outing that included an RBI and a run scored. Cortland's Wolstenholme keyed the Red Dragon attack with a 2-for-3 performance that included two RBI, two runs scored and a home run.

Senior pitcher Amber Carozza (Milton, N.Y./Marlboro) was saddled with the loss, giving up five runs, two of which were earned, on nine hits and three walks while striking out two. Corrigan earned the win in the circle for Cortland, yielding two runs off seven walks, four hits and a hit by pitch.

New Paltz headed into the bottom of the sixth with a 4-2 lead, but a big sixth inning by an opponent once again did in the Hawks.

The Hawks opened scoring in the top of the first, as two Brockport errors ultimately led to a run. Senior second baseman Melissa Liotta (Brentwood, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) drove in Burgess off an error by the shortstop, and New Paltz took an early 1-0 lead. First baseman Sarah Rosenbarker countered in the home half of the inning, as she plated center fielder Caitlyn Rana with an RBI single up the middle.

The Golden Eagles tacked one more run on to their tally in the third, as third baseman Emily Dumas crossed on a wild pitch.

New Paltz once again benefited from Brockport miscues in the sixth, as a fielding error with the bases loaded allowed the Hawks to seize the lead at 3-2. Sophomore center fielder Alex Verso (Commack, N.Y./Commack) gave New Paltz a 4-2 cushion with an RBI double to left center.

After a fly out to start the home half of the sixth, Brockport got runners on first and second with back-to-back hits. A walk loaded the bags, and a fielding error allowed the Golden Eagles to make it a 4-3 game. After Carozza recorded the second out on a strikeout, shortstop Jenna Yates cleared the bases with a three-run double to right center, and Brockport reclaimed the advantage. The Hawks were unable to drive the ball out of the infield in the seventh, and the Golden Eagles wound up prevailing by a 6-4 final.

No Hawk had more than one hit, while Dumas and Rosenbarker sparked the Brockport bats. Dumas went 2-for-3 with a run scored, while Rosenbarker went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a double. Notably, Yates racked up a game-high three RBI with her double in the sixth.

Carozza permitted six runs, three of which were earned, on nine hits and three walks while striking out one in the losing effort. Emily Kolenda drew the start in the circle for Brockport, giving up four runs, one of which was earned, on four hits and a walk while striking out one. After Kolenda pitched for 5 2/3 innings, Jaime Berger took over and held the Hawks hitless in 1 1/3 frames of work, earning the win.

New Paltz captured its first winning season since 2010 this year, and the Hawks show promise heading into next season, as just one student-athlete—Liotta—has exhausted her athletic eligibility.