Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 New Paltz, NY – The State University of New York at New Paltz softball team needed just 10 innings to earn a pair of wins Wednesday at Mary Gray Deanne Field over visiting Purchase College. The Hawks (17-7 overall) won their sixth-straight at home after registering 8-0 and 13-0 victories over the Panthers (7-14).

"I thought we showed up to play today," said SUNY New Paltz coach Krysti Maronski. "The bats were alive and we looked a little bit more relaxed than we have been. We're just taking it one pitch at a time. It was really nice to get most of the girls in today and get some experience, especially in different positions, for the future. So that was awesome to see, a lot of them came in and got some hits, which was nice." 
The Hawks added their first run in game one in the bottom of the second inning. With Nikki Bowen on third with two outs, Nina Simms stepped into the batter's box and on the very first pitch ripped a hit through the left side of the infield for an RBI single to get SUNY New Paltz on the board.

Although the Hawks didn't take advantage with runners in scoring position in the inning, they made up the production their next time up at bat, breaking the game open with five runs in the inning. Taylor LaFrance started the rally, opening up with a leadoff single to left. After a pitch hit by Meagan Blair and Bowen reaching safely on a fielder's choice, SUNY New Paltz quickly started piling on runs in minutes.

Shannon Fee earned a bases loaded walk to cross the Hawks' second run. Simms singled to centerfield, driving in two more, while Julia DiSpigna followed up with a RBI single. A passed ball eventually scored Simms and Katie Quagliana brought home DiSpigna on a RBI single to shallow centerfield. LaFrance then capped off the run with a double to left field to score Quagliana and then eventually came home on a wild pitch to push the advantage to eight.

"We definitely pulled it together and knew we were going to have to come out strong and really get it done," Simms said. "We did it really early, so that was nice. We usually have trouble getting started early, so it was nice today that we got started and kept going all the way through."

Quagliana earned her 10th win of the season, throwing four innings and giving up just three hits, one walk with one strikeout in 17 batters faced. Alyssa Piftscher came in for relief to close out the final recording two groundouts and strikeout.
  Like in game one, most of the Hawks' damage offensively was done in the third inning. After LaFrance recorded a RBI in the first and Quagliana and Puig notched RBI base hits in the second, SUNY New Paltz went into the bottom of the third inning already up by four.

Fee led off the inning with a single through the left side of the infield, while Simms registered her third hit of the day in the following at bat. Trudden loaded the bases following a fielding error by Purchase and the Hawks once again broke the game open from there with bases loaded and no outs. Michaela Damore plated SUNY New Paltz's fifth run on a hit by pitch. DiSpigna scored Simms on an infield fly, while Bowen knocked a pinch-hit double to left to score Damore and Trudden. After a single by LaFrance, Santini recorded a RBI double and Blair added on with a RBI single to left field, scoring LaFrance. Caroline Alicandri and Simms each added a RBI apiece before the inning ended, which pushed the Hawks ahead, 11-0.

SUNY New Paltz added two more runs in the fourth to put the finishing touches on a five-inning blowout with Carol Ann Campsey and Simms each registering a RBI.

Twelve Hawks registered at least a hit on the day with the team totaling 23 hits combined in the two games, but Simms was the leader offensively. The sophomore went 3-for-5 with two runs and a team-high five RBI's in the outing. LaFrance, who went 4-for-6 with two runs and two RBI's and Quagliana, who went 3-for-5 at the plate with three runs and two RBI's, followed Simms offensively.

"It felt really good to be able to contribute. It was a great day," Simms said. "Throughout the whole lineup we were really finishing, following through and getting hits when we needed to, so it felt good. It was nice to contribute and help the team."

Fox earned the game-two win, giving up just one hit and no walks, while recording six strikeouts in just 13 at-bats and 14 batters faced. Julia Mastrup closed out the fifth inning, giving up just one walk, while strikeout out one.

"I think it is a good confidence booster for us and hopefully it lets us roll into Saturday with a little more confidence in the box than we've had had," Maronski said. "We need to continue to stick with our plan at the plate and keep building on what we did today."

The Hawks are back in action Saturday, as they hit the road to take on Catskill Cup and conference rival SUNY Oneonta in a double header starting at 12 p.m. To stay up to date with everything #NPHawks be sure to follow us on Twitter at @nphawks, Instagram and Facebook at @newpaltzhawks, and subscribe to our Youtube channel, New Paltz Hawks.