New Paltz, NY - The State University of New York at New Paltz baseball team defeated the New Jersey City Knights, 8-2 Tuesday on Loren Campbell Memorial Field.
 
The Hawks offense gave New Jersey City trouble from the first batter. Justin Ortiz continued his hot streak with a lead off single. He then stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Jesse Keshner scored Ortiz on the next at-bat with an RBI double. Joe Patane reached on an error, and Michael Boccarossa walked. The Hawks had bases loaded but were not able to capitalize after an inning ending double play. 
 
The Knights fought back, scoring a run on three straight hits in the fourth inning. The game was tied until the bottom of the inning when Matt Laurelli launched a towering solo-home run on a 1-2 count, putting the Hawks up 2-1. The home run was the first of his college career. 
 
New Jersey City continued to play small ball in the fifth inning, leading off with a single, stolen base, sacrifice bunt, and force play to tie the game 2-2. The Knights led off the sixth inning again with a single, but a nice diving play from Patane doubled off the runner at second, stopping the visitors momentum and possibly saving a run. 
 
Jordan Rios led off the sixth inning, reaching first on a throwing error by the third baseman. Dillon Ristano, pinch hitting for Justin Harvey, then smacked an RBI double into the right-center field gap scoring Rios, giving the Hawks a 3-2 lead. Head coach Thomas Seay said the move to Ristano was predetermined before the game, and obviously the decision paid off. Ristano came off the bench hot, as he went 2-2 on the day with an RBI. He also kept the game close in the seventh inning by throwing a runner out at second base on a laser throw to the shortstop.
 
 
A scary moment occurred in the seventh inning. After a lead off walk from Ortiz, Jesse Keshner laid down a beautifully placed sacrifice bunt down the first base line, he was out on the play, but more concerning was he went down with an apparent ankle injury after stepping hard on the base. He was helped off the field by coaches, but seemed able to bear minimal weight on the ankle. He was replaced defensively by Dean Stalzer. 
 
When asked how big of a loss this was to the team, Seay responded, "We're definitely going to miss him in the lineup. Hopefully, it's just for a short amount of time and not an extended period of time." 
 
SUNY New Paltz got back to business immediately after the injury delay. Ryan Mackle was hit by a pitch and Patane reached first on a throwing error. The bases weren't loaded for much longer as Michael Boccarossa slapped a three-run double, scoring Ortiz, Mackle, and Patane. Boccarossa later scored after a throwing error from the catcher. 
The Hawks continued producing offensively in the eighth inning, after a two-out double from Mackle, and an RBI single from Patane. 
 
James McGovern closed the door in the ninth inning retiring the batters in order, striking out one. 
 
Nick Harvey earned the win after an impressive performance. He started the game, setting the tone for the pitching staff, throwing four innings, allowing just one run and striking out three. 
 
Dominic Schuch came in for relief, pitching four innings, allowing just one run and striking out two. 
 
All around, SUNY New Paltz played great baseball, shining defensively, hitting the baseball well, and displaying lights out stuff on the mound.
 
"We have all the confidence in the world right now." Ristano said. "We have great energy and great vibes in the clubhouse." 
 
The Hawks look to keep that same energy into their upcoming games. They return to Loren Campbell Memorial Field April 12 when they take on Ramapo College at 4 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.