New Paltz, NY — The State University of New York at New Paltz returned home Wednesday, taking on Mount Saint Mary College in its final home game of the season on Loren Campbell Memorial Field.
 
After ending its weekend series against league leader SUNY Cortland with a game three win, the Hawks looked to close out its home schedule with a win in front of the SUNY New Paltz faithful. With strong pitching in relief from freshman Dylan Hayes and three home runs hit, the Hawks coasted to an 18-5 victory and improved their record to 23-13 overall, marking the most wins in program history. 
 
Frankie Collora was on the mound Wednesday in his last regular season start. In the top of the first, Collora picked up the first out on a strong throw from Fabian Apicella to Nick Harvey. The Knights put two on base from an error by Justin Harvey and a double down the right field line. Collora traded an out for a run on a ground ball hit to Justin Harvey that gave the Knights an early 1-0 lead. Collora bucked down and picked up the third out on a fly ball to Michael Ascanio in center. 
 
Michael Boccarosa led off the bottom of the second with a walk as the Hawks looked to get on the board. After Dillon Ristano grounded into a 5-4-3 double play, Justin Harvey made sure the inning wasn't for naught and lined a double to left. With runners on second and third, Wallace Kirkpatrick lined a two-run single to put the Hawks on the board down 4-2. Looking to even the score with the bases loaded, Tommy Kreider cashed in with a two-run single to score Nick Harvey and Kirkpatrick and knot the score at four.
 
In the bottom of third, Mount Saint Mary went to its bullpen. Boccarossa greeted the new arm with a lead off bloop single to center. Ristano stepped up with a chance to tie the game and cracked a ball up in the air. It kept carrying, and cleared the wall for a two-run home run, his third of the year to give SUNY Paltz a 6-5 lead. Justin Harvey and Kirkpatrick followed with two base hits of their own putting two on with one out. A balk by Mount Saint Mary moved the runners up 90 feet. The Knights fended off the Hawks chance to score some insurance as Nick Harvey struck out on a curveball and Kreider grounded to first.
 
 
Hayes took over in relief in his eighth appearance of the season in the top half of the fourth. Hayes made quick work of the first two batters with a line out to Kreider and a grounder to Apicella. The Knights extended the inning on a walk, and advanced the runner on a passed ball. Hayes settled down and retired the final hitter of the inning on a line drive to Boccarossa. 
 
After Ascanio hit a ball that was snagged at the wall, Pericolosi looked to add an insurance run and socked one to left that sailed over the fence for a home run, his fifth of the year to give SUNY New Paltz a 7-5 in the bottom of the fourth.
 
In his third inning of work, Hayes surrendered a leadoff single to center. Right1hander Connor Olson took over on his 14th appearance of the season. The first batter hit it to Apicella who  had trouble getting the ball out of his gloves allowing everyone to be safe. Olson dialed in and retired the next two on strikeouts. With two outs and two on, Boccarossa made a nifty sliding stop to his right, gobbling up the ball and tossing to second for the out.  
Three home runs for the Hawks sounded nice and Ascanio definitely thought so, as he cracked a no-doubter over the right field wall for his third home run of the year in the sixth to give the Hawks an 8-5 lead. Pericolosi followed with a one-out walk and moved to second on a stolen base. Boccarossa drew a walk of his own putting two on and giving Ristano a golden opportunity to stretch the lead further. He was plunked to load the bases for Justin Harvey. Harvey was also hit by the pitch allowing Periolosi to come in to score and extending the lead for the Hawks by four. Kreider pushed another run home on a sacrifice fly, scoring Boccarossa with the 10th run of the game. With two outs, Nick Harvey added on another run by scoring Ristano on a ball that wasn't picked cleanly at short and pushing the lead to 11-5.
 
Olson stayed on for the top of the ninth with a big 18-5 as the Hawks blew the lead wide open in the seventh and eighth. Olson retired the first batter on a strikeout swinging. The Knights lined a double to left and tested the arm of cutoff man Ryan Mackle who gunned a throw to Nico Batkay for the second out of the inning. Mount Saint Mary stayed alive with a single to right. With one out to get in the final home game of the year, Olson induced a ground ball that was snagged by Batkay at third. He threw to first to secure the 18-5 blowout win for SUNY New Paltz.
 
The win Wednesday is the most in a single-season in the program for the Hawks (23).
 
Hayes was handed the win his first of the season after going two innings allowing two hits, no runs, no walks with no strikeouts in relief.
 
Nick Harvey went 2-for-6 with an RBI. Apicella went 1-for-3 with two RBI and three walks. Ascanio went 1-for-4 with a home run. Pericolosi went 2-for-5 with an RBI and four runs scored. Boccarossa went 1-for-2 with two runs scored and three walks. Ristano went 3-for-5 with three RBI and four runs scored. Justin Harvey went 4-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Every starting position player for the Hawks tallied a hit.

SUNy New Paltz heads north Friday for their final series of the year with SUNYAC play against SUNY Oswego. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Laker Baseball Field.
 

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