PLATTSBURGH, NY – The State University of New York at New Paltz softball team was unable to find its offensive groove in a Saturday afternoon doubleheader at Plattsburgh State, dropping both games by scores of 2-0 and 9-4. 
 
In the opening contest, the Hawks could not capitalize on having base runners. Tallying eight hits but leaving 11 runners on, the team lost the opener 2-0 despite a strong performance on the mound from Lindsay Roman. 
 
In the first inning, Katie Quagliana singled into left field after Jackie Rometo struck out swinging. After Madison Maggs popped up, Jillian Shelbourne also singled into left field, bringing Quagliana to second and putting two on with two out for Carol Ann Campsey. Campsey struck out looking to end the inning. 
 
After Roman retired the Cardinals' Claire Palmer, Kristen Langdon and Julia Golino in order, SUNY New Paltz again left runners on in the second inning, unable to break through. After Jessica Graepel singled to the mound, Nicole Greco hit a sacrifice that advanced Graepel to second, again giving the Hawks a runner in scoring position. However, after Sydney Bonewit reached on a fielder's choice, Graepel was called out at third base. Julia Golino then struck out Rhionna Biachini for her third of six strikeouts in the game. 
 
After both sides went scoreless in their next trips to the plate, the home team got on the board in the bottom of the third. After Roman struck out Sam Wells, Alexa Murray reached base on a drop by Shelbourne. Murray then stole second, and despite Palmer flying out to left field, Langdon bunted home Murray, and Plattsburgh State took a 1-0 lead.  
SUNY New Paltz once again stranded a runner their next time up to bat, when they were unable to bring Graepel home from second, who had reached second after singling and Greco bunting her down to second. Golino struck out Bonewit, and Kelly Marmorowski popped up to second base. 
 
The final run of the game came in the bottom of the fourth, when Sam Gentile doubled to center field, bringing Dimitra Mouhteros around to score. Mouhteros pinch ran for Danielle Torres, who was hit by a pitch after Roman got Dolly Garguilo to fly out and struck out Alex McKearin. Mouhteros stole second to get herself in scoring position prior to Gentile's double. Roman quickly composed herself though, striking out Wells to end the threat. 
 
In each of their next three plate appearances, SUNY New Paltz could not overcome what had plagued them all game, which was the inability to bring home base runners.
 
Rometo led off the fifth with a walk, but Quagliana grounded into a fielder's choice and Rometo was thrown out at second base. Maggs hit into another fielder's choice, again retiring the Hawks' lead base runner. Shelbourne grounded into a third consecutive fielder's choice that ended the inning. 
 
In the top half of the sixth inning, SUNY New Paltz had their best chance to get on the board. After a Campsey walk and Graepel double, they had runners at second and third with no one out. After Greco popped up, Juliet Bernstein came on to pinch hit for Bonewit. Bernstein struck out swinging though, and Bianchini flew out to left field. 
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Harrison struck out McKearin and got Torres to ground out to end the inning after getting out of a jam where the Cardinals had two runners on. One final opportunity presented itself in the seventh for the Hawks to tie or take the lead. 
 
Pitching to Golino, Rometo tripled into left center field. Next up was Quagliana, who grounded out to shortstop. Maggs then reached on a fielder's choice, but the hit was to third base, preventing Rometo from leaving the base and potentially scoring. After Maggs stole second to bring the winning run to the plate, Shelbourne popped up to shortstop and Campsey popped up to second base to end the game. 
 
Graepel had the Hawks' best performance hitting the ball in game one, going 3-for-3, while Quagliana and Shelbourn were 2-for-4. On the Cardinal side, Langdon and Garguilo were each 1-for-3, while Gentile was 1-for-2. 
Both Roman and Harrison were impressive on the mound in a game where both staffs were solid. Roman, in 4 ⅔ innings, gave up just three hits and one earned run while striking out five. Harrison, in her relief, gave up no earned in 1 ⅔ and struck out one. For Plattsburgh State, Golino went the distance, pitching all seven innings, giving up eight hits, walking two and striking out six. 
 
In game number two, the bats came alive for both sides, but a massive bottom half of the fourth inning for the home team propelled them to a 9-4 victory. 
 
After both teams went scoreless in the first, the Hawks struck first in the second inning. Campsey led off the inning with a single, stole second, and then advanced to third base on a passed ball. Greco, batting second, walked but then was called out at second attempting to steal with Mya DiRenzo at the plate. Campsey did however score from third on the play, putting SUNY New Paltz up 1-0. After DiRenzo struck out, Julie Mastrup reached first base on a bunt. She however was caught stealing to end the inning. 
 
To open the bottom of the second, Diller reached first base on an error, and then proceeded to advance to second and third on groundouts from Gentile and Kelsy Waite. A single into right field by the next batter, Kristina Maggiacomo, brought Diller home to tie the game at one. Harrison got Murray to ground into a fielder's choice to end the inning. 
 
The Hawks widened the gap in the top of the third. Rometo led off the inning with a double into left field, and Quagliana singled into left to give SUNY New Paltz runners on the corners with nobody out. Maggs struck out swinging, but Shelbourn, grounding to first base, picked up an RBI in the process as Rometo scored from third and Quagliana advanced to second. Graepel then doubled to left, which scored Quagliana to give the Hawks a 3-1 lead, which was immediately followed by a single from Campsey that made the score 4-1. Maggiacomo struck out Greco to end the inning. 
 
After Harrison retired the Cardinals in order in the third inning, the floodgates opened in the fourth. 
 
It started with a Diller single into right field. Next up was Gentile, who grounded out to third but advanced the junior into scoring position in the process. A single up the middle then scored Diller, making the score 4-2. Waite then advanced to third base on a passed ball, and although Maggiacomo grounded to second, Waite scored, getting the home side within one, 4-3. Now very much within striking distance, Plattsburgh State really started getting to Harrison. Consecutive singles from Murray and Palmer put runners on first and second with two out, and prompted coach Krysti Maronski to make a pitching change, bringing in Sydney Waldon. Facing her first batter of the day, Waldon walked Langdon, loading the bases for Golino. 
 
Golino tripled into right center field, emptying the bases and, in a flash, putting the home team up 6-4. The onslaught continued with a single from Garguilo that brought home Golino, giving the Cardinals a 7-4 advantage. After Diller singled into right field, Plattsburgh State had runners on first and second, still with two out. Waldon was unable to stop the bleeding, as Gentile doubled to center field and the Cardinals emptied the bases once again. Quagliana, in to pitch for Waldon, got Waite to hit into a ground out, ending the inning as the Hawks now trailed 9-4. 
 
The damage had been done in a major way though, and SUNY New Paltz just could not recover, as Maggiacomo retired nine straight batters to end the game. 
 
The Cardinals tallied 11 hits in the game to the Hawks' six, with both teams leaving three on base. While in game one, it was leaving runners on that doomed SUNY New Paltz the most, in the second game it was the inability to place pitches where they needed to be to get the out. With the losses, SUNY New Paltz's record dropped to 11-9. Plattsburgh State improved to 5-7. 
 
"It was just a bad day," said Hawks coach Krysti Maronski. 
 
The Hawks have a short turnaround before getting back at it, as they play at SUNY Potsdam tomorrow in a double-header that starts at 12 p.m.

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