New Paltz, NY — Up by two runs with the game-tying runner in scoring position, Xavier Zykoff came jogging in from the bullpen.
 
The State University of New York at New Paltz had trouble all season closing out games, especially on Loren Campbell Field, but the freshman right-hander was unwavered by the situation, as he threw strikes and sat down three straight batters to earn his first collegiate save of his young career and secured his team a 10-9 win over visiting NYU Friday.
 
"Going into the game in that position, I knew I had the fielders behind me ready to make plays in case the ball was put in play, and I felt comfortable in the bullpen coming out, so all around I felt comfortable," he said. "I had the guys behind me. I trusted everybody on the field and we had a two-run buffer there so it was just nice and comfortable."
 
The Hawks began a two-game winning streak with the victory, improving to 9-19 overall after defeating Vassar on the road 24 hours earlier and finally claimed their first victory on Loren Campbell Field.
 
"I think it certainly means a lot to win finally on our home field," Zykoff said. "Having gone through so many rough games and knowing that our team has the potential, and the guys to put games together it finally feels good to kind of solidify something here and build from that for the rest of the season going on."
 
 
Both team's offenses were hot, combining for 26 hits. Dillon Ristano got the game going with a lead-off single in the second. He eventually gave SUNY New Paltz a 1-0 lead, scoring on a sacrifice fly by Mike Ascanio.
 
The Violets took the lead to start the third with Matt Sarni closing out the inning after relieving closer Billy Moeller. The Hawks responded with a three-run inning of their own to regain the advantage, as back-to-back base hits by Justin Ortiz and Tommy Kreider led off the inning. Ristano brought Ortiz home on an RBI single with Kreider coming home on a double steal as a muffed throw allowed Ristano to arrive safely at second and scored Kreider. Fabian Apicella plated Ristano on an RBI ground out to push the hosts ahead, 4-3.
 
NYU Had a big four-run fourth inning and took a 7-4 lead into the fifth, but the Hawks showed their resiliency by rallying again in the bottom half. Nick Harvey led off with a walk and Apicella came through again a batter later, ripping a double to left to bring Harvey home. Mike Ascanio followed up with an RBI base hit, scoring Christopher Sais who singled to left earlier in the inning with Garrett Grathwohl capping the inning on an RBI groundout that scored Apciella and tied the game at 7-7.  
A pair of doubles allowed the Violets to take an 8-7 lead, but SUNY New Paltz tied the game once again in the bottom half. Kreider and Harvey hit back-to-back singles with Ristano moving Kreider over to third on a flyout. Kreider tied the game in the next at-bat using his speed on a wild pitch to reach home for the second time on the day.

Liam Ryan had a quick 1-2-3 inning in the seventh with two strikeouts to keep the stalemate and give his team a chance to re-take the lead. SUNY New Paltz took advantage of NYU miscues in the eighth, starting with a dropped third strike, which let Michael Boccarossa on to lead off the inning. Ortiz laid down a bunt and reached safely on an error before Kreider loaded the bases on a single. Another throwing error by the Violets allowed Boccarossa to score before adding an insurance run with a sacrifice fly by Harvey, scoring Ortiz from third.
 
Bobby Ramsey came in and pitched the eighth for SUNY New Paltz and kept the lead at two. The Hawks were held in the bottom frame and needed just three more outs to secure the win. Ramsey gave up a single and a double to start the inning before Zykoff came in for relief. The Poughkeepsie, NY native forced a groundout on his first batter faced, which scored a run to trim the difference to just one. He never lost composure, however, and went straight to work, forcing another ground out while keeping the tying run at third. He then threw three-straight strikes, catching the final batter looking to close out the win.
 
"Definitely something that I will remember, pretty big game," Zykoff said. "A lot of runs, a lot of hits, a lot of guys making plays and doing things we're supposed to so coming out here and just having fun with the guys, I'm certainly going to remember it for a while."
 
Ryan was given the win, improving to 2-1 on the season. Kreider led the team offensively, going 3-for-6 with two runs and a stolen base. Apicella followed, hitting 3-for-5 with one run and two RBI with Ristano hitting 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. Harvey went 1-for-3 with a run, a walk and an RBI. Ascanio had a hit, stolen base and two RBI.
 
SUNY New Paltz is back in action Saturday, closing out its three-game non-conference series against NYU with a doubleheader on Loren Campbell Field starting at noon.

Post-Game Featuring Xavier Zykoff


************************
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.