Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz softball team snapped SUNY Geneseo's 18-game winning streak to stay alive in the race for a spot in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament on Friday afternoon at Mary Gray Deane Field, splitting with the Knights in a conference doubleheader. New Paltz won game one, 4-2, while Geneseo prevailed, 7-2, in nine innings in the nightcap.

New Paltz moves to 17-14 overall (9-7 SUNYAC) and wraps up its SUNYAC schedule tomorrow at home when it contests The College at Brockport in a 12 p.m. doubleheader. Geneseo moves to 23-10 overall (12-4 SUNYAC) and completes its SUNYAC schedule tomorrow at 12 p.m. at SUNY Oneonta.

New Paltz 4, Geneseo 2

Geneseo lost for the first time since April 2 in game one of the twinbill, as the Hawks tightrope walked out of several jams, relying on stellar defense. The Knights held a commanding 11-3 edge in hits in game one, but New Paltz came up big both offensively and defensively when it mattered most.

Junior right fielder Mikayla Moore put the visitors on the board in the top of the second, driving in sophomore first baseman Abby Dennett with a double through the left side. New Paltz countered in the bottom of the inning, however, as freshman left fielder Danielle Bruno (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East) tied the game at 1-all with an RBI double before junior pitcher Katie Rutcofsky (Plainview, N.Y./Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy) blasted a two-run home run over the right-field fence.

In the top of the fifth, Geneseo's junior third baseman Cat Krok laced an RBI double to right center, but junior right fielder Fallon Spriggs (Kingston, N.Y./Kingston) initiated a 9-4-2 putout at home to stop the tying run from scoring on the play. Spriggs gave New Paltz a 4-2 cushion in the fifth, tripling to left field to push across sophomore shortstop Kiersten Carlomagno (Commack, N.Y./Commack). Geneseo was unable to stuff the run column further, and the Hawks came away with a crucial SUNYAC win.

Three different New Paltz hitters recorded a hit, while four Knights had multi-hit outings.

Rutcofsky earned the win, yielding two runs off 11 hits, a walk and a hit by pitch while striking out two in six innings of work. Sophomore pitcher Taylor Corwin (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) was credited with the save, tossing one hitless inning of relief. Geneseo's senior pitcher Corrin Spallone suffered the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) off three hits, two walks and a hit by pitch while striking out nine.

Geneseo 7, New Paltz 2 (9 inn.)

In a game that whizzed by for the first six innings of play, multiple strategic lineup changes by both teams in the latter stages of the game brought the pace to a halt, and Geneseo finally broke open a 2-all deadlock in the top of the ninth by scoring five runs.

Junior second baseman Courtney Budynas kicked off scoring in the third, doubling in a run with a hit to left field. New Paltz countered two-and-a-half innings later, as senior third baseman/pitcher Meg Brewer (Bayport, N.Y./Bayport-Blue Point) drove in two runs with a double to left-center. Geneseo plated the game-tying run in the top of the seventh, however, to prevent New Paltz from locking up the win.

New Paltz had a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh, as senior catcher Shayna Burgess (Smithtown, N.Y./Commack) reached on a hit by pitch and advanced to second on a passed ball. However, the Hawks were thrown out at home in back-to-back at-bats following base hits, and the score remained tied to force extra innings.

Geneseo's offense took advantage of a two-out error in the ninth to score five unearned runs, and that surge wound up being the difference.

Brewer batted 2-for-3 with two RBI and a double to lead the Hawk bats, while senior center fielder Kayleigh Blersch hit 3-for-5 with one run scored and one RBI for the Knights.

New Paltz used four different pitchers in the loss, while Moore earned the win in the circle for Geneseo, throwing 163 pitches total.