New Paltz, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz continued its homestand Wednesday, taking on SUNY Cobleskill on Loren Campbell Memorial Field.
 
The Hawks (21-11 overall) looked to make it three in a row after Tuesday's late inning win against the College of Mount Saint Vincent. With strong pitching from Jason Wall and Dylan Thomasson, the Hawks limited the Fighting Tigers to two runs in the 4-2 victory.
 
Freshman right-hander Dylan Hayes was on the mound Wednesday being used in an opener role. In the top of the first, Hayes surrendered a leadoff walk, instantly putting a runner on first. The next batter grounded to Tommy Kreider at short. He gathered and tossed to second baseman Michael Boccarossa to collect the force-out. With one-out and one on, the Fighting Tigers tried to move the runner to second. Dillon Ristano made sure that wasn't going to happen and gunned the ball to second for the second out. Hayes had trouble finishing the inning, giving up two walks and a balk. However, he dialed in and escaped the inning with a dropped-third strikeout.
 
Unlike Tuesday, the Hawks didn't wait till the late innings to score. In the bottom half of the first, Kreider walked to get the inning going. Kreider then wanted second, and made it safely on with a stolen base. Michael Ascanio stepped up and lined a double off the right field wall. Kreider came in to score, giving SUNY New Paltz a quick 1-0 lead.
 
Wall took over in the top of the third in his ninth appearance of the season. Cobleskill greeted him with a line-drive single to left. Wall recovered and got the first out on a fly out to left as well. The Fighting Tigers decided to steal second again and this time they were successful. With a runner on second and one out, the next batter grounded out to Nick Harvey at first who backhanded it, and flipped to Wall for the second out. Wall escaped the inning on a groundout to Kreider at short. 
 
In the top of the fifth, Cobleskill led off with a bullet single to left. The runner then moved to second on a passed ball. Wall got the next batter to chase a low pitch and Ristano threw to first for the out. Nick Harvey noticed the runner trying to take third and nailed a throw on target to get the second out. Wall secured the final out with a fly ball to left.  
The Hawks looked to get an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth. Ascanio got the inning started with a leadoff walk. On second with a stolen base, Anthony Pericolosi pushed Ascanio to third on a groundout to second. Boccarossa stepped up and hit a ball to left field. Ascanio decided to test the arm of the left fielder and the gamble paid off, as the throw went wide, allowing Ascanio to come in to score on the SAC fly, giving SUNY New Paltz a 2-0 lead.
 
Wall stayed on for the top of the sixth and allowed a leadoff single. With a runner on, the Fighting Tigers got the ball in the air to left. It carried out over the wall and evened the score at 2.
 
Freshman right-hander Dylan Thomasson took over in the top of the seventh inheriting runners on first and second. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. The first batter was plunked by the pitch to load the bases with no outs. Thomasson recovered and got out number one on a strikeout looking. The Fighting Tigers saw another pitch go down the zone as Thomasson picked up back-to-back strikeouts. Needing one more out Thomasson fired one for the strikeout swinging, and getting out of the bases loaded jam keeping the score tied at 2.
 
Nick Harvey led off the bottom of the seventh and drilled a double to right field. The ball hopped over the wall for a ground rule double. Cobleskill went to its bullpen for a left-handed arm. Kreider stepped up and socked one to center, moving Harvey to third. With the go-ahead run 90 feet away, Ascanio grounded one that was mishandled at first allowing the run to score, and giving the Hawks a 3-2 lead.
 
The Fighting Tigers reached base to start the top of the eithth with a line-drive single up the middle. Thomasson hit the next batter putting two on with no out. Right-hander Connor Olson took over in his second straight game looking to get out of the inning unscathed. Olson induced a pop fly to Pericolosi and to Ascanio for the first two outs. The Fighting Tigers continued the inning with another walk to load the bases. Olson dialed in and picked up the strikeout looking to maintain the 3-2 lead.  
In the bottom of the eighth, SUNY New Paltz looked to add on to its lead. Justin Harvey led off and was plunked by the pitch. Wallace Kirkpatrick followed with a base knock to right. Later in the inning, an error at second allowed Justin Harvey to give the Hawks an insurance run going up 4-2.
 
Right-hander James McGovern took over in his 11th appearance of the year in a save opportunity. Cobleskill led off with a walk. Two batters later, McGovern surrendered a single to right. McGovern buckled in and picked up the strikeout looking and a groundout to Kreider to secure the 4-2 Hawks victory.
 
The win Wednesday brings the Hawks one shy of tying the most wins in program history since the 2000 and 2001 seasons (22).
 
"We're really excited as a team. We're not trying to think too far ahead right now," Olson said. "We're trying to stay in the present and just take it one game at a time. Today was all we cared about, just getting one more win."
 
Thomasson was handed his second win of the season in relief after going one inning giving up one hit, no runs, no walks with three strikeouts.
 
Nick Harvey went 1-for-4 with a walk. Kreider went 1-for-3 with two walks. Ascanio went 1-for-5 with an RBI. Boccarossa went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Ristano went 1-for-4. Justin Harvey had a run scored.

SUNY New Paltz continues its homestand Friday taking on the top team in SUNYAC play in SUNY Cortland. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Loren Campbell Memorial Field.


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