Plattsburgh, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz baseball team went on the road to face Plattsburgh State Friday in its regular season finale with playoff implications on the line.
 
The Hawks were a game behind Oneonta for the final spot in the SUNYAC East standings and the team needed at least a split to keep its playoff hopes alive Friday. SUNY New Paltz came close in both outings, but suffered tough back-to-back losses, falling in 11 innings, 4-3 in game one, and 4-3 in game two.
 
The Hawks (9-11 overall, 5-11 SUNYAC) had their ace on the hill to start game one in reigning SUNYAC Pitcher of the Week Anthony Amoroso. The Monroe, NY product tossed two-straight 10-srikeout games in his last two starts and recorded seven more against the Cardinals. He nearly walked away with his fourth win of the season, but Plattsburgh came back to tie the game in the ninth and then win it in the 11th, pitting the loss on junior Billy Moeller who came in for relief in the eighth.
 
After gaining a 1-0 advantage in the first, a walk to start the bottom of the second came back to bite Amoroso, as Christian Ott stole second in the following at-bat to put himself in scoring position. Steve Messerschmit remained patient for the Cardinals in the box and knocked a double over the head of Justin Ortiz in right field to score Ott. Justin Harvey had a heads up play, picking off Messerschmit who took too big a lead at second, with brother Nick Harvey making the tag for the second out of the inning. Picked up by his teammates, Amoroso made quick work in the next at-bat, striking out Andrew Veit on a 1-2 count to end the second. 
Amoroso faced runners on the corners in the bottom of the fourth with one out. He buckled in and got the next batter swinging for the second out of the inning, but Veit came up clutch for his team and smacked an RBI single through the left side of the infield to put Plattsburgh up, 2-1.
 
SUNY New Paltz regained the lead in the eighth, as the Cardinals' Matt Triola walked Ortiz to start the inning and Nick Harvey followed up with a base knock up the middle to put the game-tying run in scoring position for Dean Stalzer. The senior came through on a 3-2 count with an RBI single to plate Ortiz and knot the score at twos.
 
With runners on the corners and no outs, Plattsburgh replaced Triola with Veit on the mound, but the change didn't stop the Hawks from adding on. Jesse Keshner put down a well-placed sacrifice bunt to advance the runners and set the table for Matthew McGee who came through with a hard-hit two RBI single to score both Stalzer and Harvey and give SUNY New Paltz a 4-2 advantage going into the last inning and a half.
 
Plattsburgh answered in the bottom half of the eighth. Amoroso walked the leadoff batter for the third time in the game. He got the next two outs, but again the free base came back to haunt him. Messerschmit brought the run home on a single to left center and cut the lead to 4-3.
 
Moeller came in to relieve Amoroso to get the final four outs of the game. He struck out the final out of the eighth, but couldn't retain his team's lead in the ninth.
 
Cody Peryea led off the ninth for Plattsburgh with a base hit and a sacrifice bunt moved him into scoring position. Erik Matz batted him home on a single to left center, but Moeller got out the inning with help from the Harvey brothers, as Matz was caught stealing and then Moeller struck out the side to get the Hawks to extras.
 
SUNY New Paltz wasted a prime opportunity to score the go-ahead run, as Ryan Geraghty stroked a one-out triple to start the 11th, but Michael Boccarossa fouled out and Justin Harvey struck out to keep the stalemate at 4-4.
 
Plattsburgh then capped the game in the bottom of the inning. The Cardinals had the bases loaded and no outs after Aaron Roman led off with a single and Moeller was charged with an error on a sacrifice bunt to put two runners on with no outs. After intentionally walking the next batter to load the bases, Plattsburgh's Jacob Hutton ended the game with an RBI base hit to shallow right to plate Roman for the game-winning run.
  The Hawks shrugged off the tough game-one loss and opened up game two with a 3-0 lead. 
 
Nick Harvey instigated the offense, ripping a double down the right field line to score Oritz who opened up the game with a leadoff walk. With two outs, Boccarossa kept the rally going with an RBI base hit to plate McGee. John McCarrick added another on the next at-bat, slicing a hit through the right side to push his team ahead by three.
 
Bobby Ramsey got the game two start for SUNY New Paltz and pitched well, going five innings, allowing just four hits and two earned runs, but the Cardinals wiped away the Hawks lead in the sixth. After Ramsey gave up back-to-back walks to start the inning he was pulled for Moeller in the sixth. Moeller got the first out, but a wild pitch advanced the runners into scoring position. Matthew Polestino replaced Moeller to face the next batter and the freshman got the next out, but gave up an RBI single, a 4-0 walk, a two RBI single and another walk to give up the 3-0 lead.
 
Plattsburgh hung on from there and clinched the one-run victory after blanking the Hawks in the seventh.
 
Boccarossa and McCarrick led SUNY New Paltz at the plate in game two, each going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Oritz went 2-for-4 with two runs and a walk in game one, while Keshner and McGee each had two hits in the first game and combined for three RBI.

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