Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

FREDONIA, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz softball team continued its push toward qualifying for the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament on Saturday afternoon at SUNY Fredonia's Blue Devil Field, splitting a conference doubleheader with the Blue Devils. Fredonia won game one, 4-2, before New Paltz took game two, 13-6.

New Paltz moves to 14-11 overall (6-4 SUNYAC) with the split and visits SUNY Oswego next for a SUNYAC twinbill on Tuesday, April 21, at 3:30 p.m. Fredonia moves to 13-12 overall (10-4 SUNYAC) with the results and hosts The College at Brockport next in a SUNYAC doubleheader on Wednesday, April 22, at 3 p.m.

Fredonia 4, New Paltz 2

A three-run first inning for Fredonia in game one helped propel the Blue Devils to victory, though New Paltz made things interesting with runs in the sixth and seventh innings.

Junior shortstop Alyssa Morgan doubled in two runs in the home half of the first to put Fredonia on the board, while freshman center fielder Maggie Paras drove in Morgan to stake the Blue Devils to a 3-0 lead.

Freshman first baseman Lauren Cappello (New City, N.Y./Albertus Magnus) pushed across senior center fielder Shayna Burgess (Smithtown, N.Y./Commack) in the top of the sixth before freshman left fielder/right fielder Nikki Lent gave Fredonia some insurance with an RBI single in the home half of the inning. Junior catcher Jordan Fiore (Mount Sinai, N.Y./Mount Sinai) cut the deficit to two runs with an RBI base knock in the top of the seventh, but the Blue Devils were able to prevent the Hawks from mounting a rally to preserve a game-one victory.

Junior designated player Nicole DeCosta (Stormville, N.Y./John Jay-East Fishkill) was the lone Hawk to register multiple hits in game one, as she went 2-for-3. Lent and freshman third baseman Katelyn Dennis each batted 2-for-3 with one run scored to pace Fredonia's offense.

Senior pitcher/third baseman Meg Brewer (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) shouldered the loss, though junior pitcher Katie Rutcofsky (Plainview, N.Y./Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy) pitched well in relief, yielding just one run off seven hits while striking out three. Senior pitcher Kelsey Gannett allowed two runs (one earned) off seven hits and a walk while striking out 10 in the winning effort for Fredonia.

New Paltz 13, Fredonia 6

Game two featured an offensive explosion, with the two teams combining for 34 hits, 22 of which came off New Paltz bats. The Hawks were one hit away from tying the single-game program record of 23, which was set on April 13, 1998, at Hunter College.

It took a few innings for the two offenses to find their groove, with just one run coming in the first two frames; junior left fielder Fallon Spriggs (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) put New Paltz on the scoreboard in the top of the first with an RBI single to left.

The Hawks broke the game open in the top of the third, pounding out eight hits and scoring six runs. Brewer, DeCosta, Cappello, freshman right fielder Julia Perhacs (Robbinsville, N.J./Robbinsville) and Burgess all registered RBI in the inning.

Fredonia mounted a comeback in the middle innings, scoring one run in the third and three runs in the fourth. After a scoreless fifth for both teams, the Hawks received two-run hits from DeCosta and Burgess in the sixth, while Fredonia scored twice in the bottom half of the sixth. Finally, in the top of the seventh, freshman pinch hitter Danielle Bruno (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East) drove in a pair of runs with a double to round out the game's scoring.

Perhacs, Spriggs, Brewer and DeCosta all had four-hit outings for the Hawks, while DeCosta and Burgess each drove in three runs. Fredonia's top offensive performer in game two was junior designated player Madeline Medina, who went 3-for-3 with three doubles, two RBI and one run scored.

The Hawks used three different pitchers in the victory, with Rutcofsky earning the win in 2 2/3 innings of work. Sophomore pitcher Taylor Corwin (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) threw the final 1 1/3 innings and did not allow any hits or runs. Three Blue Devil pitchers took to the circle in the loss, with freshman pitcher Megan Degroat being tagged with the loss.