Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Clermont, FL —After building a strong six-run cushion against Manchester University (3-3) Sunday in the first game of the PFX THE Spring Games Tournament, the State University of New York at New Paltz softball team let the Spartans cap off a seventh-inning rally, scoring eight runs in the top of the inning to steal away the, 12-8, win.
 
"I would have to say being up runs has never been a good thing for us," said Hawks coach Samantha Miller. "We've always been a team to fight back and put runs on the board when we're down. So being up a significant amount of runs and only needing three outs to finish the game I think allowed this team to sit back and get comfortable."
 
SUNY New Paltz (3-3) played well to start the game, quickly responding to Manchester University's opening run at the top of the inning.
 
Shannon Fee got the Hawks on the board in the bottom of the first, hitting a ball down the left field line with bases loaded to tie the game at one. Two batters later, Madison Rappold sent a blooper over the second baseman and brought home Fee and Taylor Leonette to push the lead, 4-1.
 
SUNY New Paltz added three more in the bottom of the fourth. Taylor Fischer hit an RBI double before Taylor LaFrance stepped up to the plate and knocked a triple to left center to plate Fisher and Julia Perhacs, bringing the lead to 7-1 heading into the bottom of the inning.
 
Manchester University crept back in the top of the fifth. The Spartans started the inning with a walk, followed by back-to-back doubles that brought in a run and then consecutive sacrifice flies cut the score 7-4.
 
Rappold tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth inning for the Hawks with an RBI double to bring Katie Conrad home.
 
"I still wanted more, because I know what our team is capable of, so when we're playing a team like that I never want to settle for just a seven run lead or eight run lead," Miller said. "Going into that last inning, we were ahead 8-4, but to give up the eight runs… and really only needing three outs that really gets in these kids' heads. We're a team that fights back rather than putting the nail in the coffin early."
 
The Spartans started their rally with a bases loaded shot to center field, as Perhacs had trouble fielding the long drive to deep center, which plated a runner and cut the score, 8-5. A two RBI single by Kate Skeens cut the deficit to one, and following an RBI single by Makenzi Nyla, which tied the game, a passed ball let in the go-ahead run score. Manchester University then added on three more insurance runs following an RBI double by Kyrstal Sell and an RBI single by Miranda Bogg.
 
"I think what made the wheels fall off the bus was really the mental mistakes," Miller said. "Not doing the little things early on, some missed signs around the bases, defensive errors. It is always tough when you're not on the field a lot and we struggled mentally with our defense yesterday [at practice] with our infield. I think rolling into today that was a really rough one and we couldn't find the spark to put us back in the game."
 
It was the first of two losses for SUNY New Paltz Sunday at Legends Field, as the Hawks also dropped their second game, 7-0, in six innings against Hamilton College (5-5).
 
SUNY New Paltz seemed energized to start the outing, and fought through a tight one-run contest through the first three innings, but in the bottom of the first junior captain LaFrance went down with an injury after making a great diving stop at short stop. She came up favoring her arm and was out for the game with a dislocated shoulder.

LaFrance's absence in the dugout affected the Hawks, who then slowly allowed the Continentals to build a cushion.
 
"We're a team that likes to split games — we like to put up a fight in the first game and then we don't know how to get going again in the second game, and vice-versa," Miller said. "But what really put everyone's minds in the gutters was ultimately Taylor's injury. We're hoping for the best, but our team needs to really understand this — you can't rely on one kid to keep a spark. That is a kid that we know is a huge leader on the field, both with her voice and her defense, and her bat. It was really unfortunate to say that nobody could figure out how to become that leader."
 
After plating a run in the bottom of the second, Hamilton College scored two more in the fourth, three in the fifth and two more in the sixth, ending the game on an RBI double to finalize the 7-0 outcome.

After totaling 13 hits against the Spartans, SUNY New Paltz registered just two hits against Hamilton College with Ashley Puig and Leonette each recording a single.
 
Despite having just one at-bat in the second game, LaFrance led the Hawks offensively on the day. She totaled two RBIs, one run and a walk in four at-bats. Fee followed with three hits, an RBI, one run scored and a stolen base, while Rappold went 2-for-2 in the first game with two RBIs and a walk.
 
Alyssa Pfitscher got the start in the circle against Manchester University, giving up just five hits and an earned run in four innings pitched.
 
Lauren Cappello, who pitched three innings against the Spartans, giving up nine hits, started the second game and went 5.2 innings, allowing 10 hits and four earned runs with one walk and a strikeout.
 
"Tomorrow I think I need to see them stop settling," Miller said. "I talked about in the beginning of the year about finishing games, finishing the inning. It doesn't matter how many runs you are up, good teams are always going to come back. Right now, those teams have gotten the best of us, but really going into tomorrow, we really need to see the energy there and we got to see them back on all the little things. I know we can do it. It is just a matter of if they want to."
 
SUNY New Paltz is back in action Monday, taking on Bowdoin College and Calvin College at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively. Be sure to follow @nphawks on Twitter and @newpaltzhawks on Instagram and Facebook for updates, highlights, videos, photos and more.