Oneonta, NY — The State University of New York New Paltz went on the road Monday and earned a series sweep of Oneonta, winning 12-3 in five innings before claiming a 3-0 victory over the hosting Red Dragons.
 
SUNY New Paltz improved to 9-13 overall and picked up its first two conference victories to open up SUNYAC play. Oneonta, meanwhile, dropped to 8-12 overall and 2-2 in the SUNYAC.
 
Sydney Waldon earned the Game 1 start for the Hawks and pitched the full five innings, allowing just four hits, two earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts. Jackie Rometo was the offensive catalyst in the game, going 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Mallory Rohon followed, finishing 2-for-3 with a run scored a three RBI. Lauren Serrao went 2-for-3 with a run and three RBI, while Ella Sharrock finished 2-for-4 with a run and one RBI.
 
SUNY New Paltz took an early 2-0 lead to start the first, as Rometo set the tone with a lead-off triple. Sharrock brought her home a batter later on a base hit to right with Rohon following, as she doubled to the left center gap to plate Sharrock.
 
The offense continued to thrive in the second, as Kelsey O'Brien answered a run scored by the Red Dragons with a two-run homer to bring the lead to 4-1. Rohon rounded the bases as well, leading off the third with a solo shot to center for her first home run of her collegiate career. Lauren Serrao helped add two more with a two-out double to left, scoring Kate Hope and sister, Lindsey Serrao to push the advantage to 7-1.  
SUNY New Paltz broke the game open in the fifth after Oneonta answered with two runs scored in the bottom of the fourth. The Hawks got their first six batters on safely, as Maddie Anderson, Lauren Serrao and Rometo all registering RBI base hits to bring the lead to 11-3. Rohon capped the frame with a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Lauren Serrao to grab her team a nine-run cushion. Waldon then shut down the side in order to end the game in just five innings played.
 
Leah Gunsett started Game 2 and threw a full seven innings. Allowing six hits and two walks with three strikeouts in the complete game shutout.
 
The game was scoreless until the third with the Hawks taking a 1-0 lead. O'Brien helped Rometo across with an RBI base hit to center, but the damage was limited as Oneonta earned two outs on consecutive at-bats to close out the side with O'Brien stranded at second.
 
Rometo and O'Brien came through again in the fifth, as Rometo kept the inning alive with a two-out double before O'Brien ripped a two-run shot to left field to bring the lead to 3-1. The offense was enough to close out with the win as Gunsett stranded a runner at second with two consecutive ground outs in the bottom of the fifth. She then earned the final two outs on a flyout and ground out to leave a runner on first in the sixth before shutting down the side in order to end the seventh, helping her team to the win and improving her record to 4-5 on the year.
 
The Hawks also only registered six hits in the game, five of which were from Rometo and O'Brien with Lindsey Serrao tallying a pinch hit single in the seventh. Rometo finished 3-for-4 with two runs and a double. O'Brien, meanwhile, went 2-for-3 with a run and three RBI with a home run and stolen base.
 
SUNY New Paltz resumes SUNYAC play this weekend, returning home for a doubleheader series against Plattsburgh Friday and Potsdam Saturday.

 
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