Winter Haven, FL — The State University of New York at New Paltz opened up day one of The PFX Spring Games Friday afternoon against Concordia Chicago and Nebraska Wesleyan, splitting the doubleheader. The Hawks earned a 5-1 win over the Cougars, while falling to the Prairie Wolves in five innings, 10-2.
 
SUNY New Paltz got on the board early in game one against Concordia Chicago thanks to a two-RBI triple in the top of the second by sophomore Jackie Rometo, which plated Rhionna Bianchini and Jillian Shelbourne to break the scoreless tie. Kelsey O'Brien added on with a two-out RBI base hit to bring Rometo home, giving the Hawks a 3-0 cushion to end the inning.
 
Lindsay Roman had a strong outing and kept the shutout going through six innings with Kelly Mamorowski providing more run support in the fifth, doubling to right center to plate O'Brien who got on earlier in the inning after getting hit by a pitch. Emmie Mae Cabrera brought in another run, reaching on an error that scored Morgan Lanberg who pinch ran for Marmorowski to push the lead to 5-0.
 
Roman narrowly escaped with her first seven-inning shutout of the season, but an extra base hit with two outs broke the scoreless stretch for Concordia Chicago with Rometo throwing out the runner trying to reach third to end the game.  
Roman's final stat line was impressive, as she allowed just five hits and two walks, one earned run with six strikeouts in a full seven innings pitched. Rometo also had a standout performance hitting in the leadoff spot, she finished 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI along with a stolen base.
 
Game two was scoreless until a 10-run inning for Nebraska Wesleyan broke the game open. A lead-off walk started the rally for the Prairie Wolves, which was followed by a bunt single and a base hit to load the bases. Another walk pushed the first run across before SUNY New Paltz pitcher Jillian Harrison got the first out of the inning on a pop up. A pinch-hit two-RBI base hit put the first two runs of the game on the board with Nebraska Wesleyan following with an RBI double. Sydney Waldon came in to relieve Harrison, but the Prairie Wolves tacked on two more on an error at first before Waldon struck out the next batter for the second out of the inning. Nebraska Wesleyan kept adding on, scoring on a two-out single to right and three-straight RBI base hits before Waldon ended the inning on a ground out with the Hawks facing a 10-0 deficit.
 
SUNY New Paltz produced a pair of runs in the fifth, as Sydney Bonewit began the inning with a lead-off walk. O'Brien scored Bonewit five batters later on a single through the left side of the infield with Emmie Mae Cabrera helping Bianchini across with the Prairie Wolves committing an error on a ground ball hit to third, but the offense stalled there with the game ending after the fifth following the eight-run difference.
 
O'Brien was the only Hawk to have a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-3 with an RBI. Jaycee Filancia and Bianchini were the only other two who registered hits in the game for SUNY New Paltz.
 
The Hawks are back in action Saturday, facing Lebanon Valley at 9 a.m. and Dominican University (ILL) at 11:30 a.m.

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