Ashland, VA — The State University of New York New Paltz closed out its opening weekend Sunday in a re-match against hosting No. 7 Randolph-Macon and Meredith College at Carol Estes Park.
 
The Hawks (2-2 overall) surprised the country in an upset victory over the nationally ranked Yellow Jackets (3-2) on their own field. It was just the fourth time the program knocked off a nationally ranked opponent and the second highest ever. However, SUNY New Paltz didn't see the same success against the hosts Sunday, falling 4-0 before also taking a loss in its second game of the afternoon to Meredith, 5-1.
 
The score was a zeros until a big four-run fifth inning changed the course of the contest against Randolph-Macon. Alex Frenza pitched a stout opening three innings until the Yellow Jackets found success a second time through the lineup in the fourth. A two-out double kept the frame alive, and the hosts almost broke through the stalemate if it wasn't for a throw out at home from freshman Kaitlyn Gordon at left field to Mallory Rohon at home to get the tag and keep the game scoreless.
 
The Hawks carried their momentum into the fifth, as Ava Thys knocked a base hit to shallow right before getting herself in scoring position with a stolen base. Kelsey O'Brien narrowly got her home on a single up the middle, but Thys was caught at home on the throw with the score remaining at 0-0. Randolph Macon teed off in the bottom half, starting the frame with a double to left. Frenza forced two-straight pop-outs, but the Yellow Jackets started a two-out rally and got their next four runners on before Gordon threw out a runner at home once again to end the inning, but not until the hosts held a 4-0 lead.  
SUNY New Paltz's offense stalled in the last two innings with Ella Sharrock the only player to register a hit in the team's last six outs resulting in the 4-0 shutout.

Sharrock led the team offensively, going 2-for-3, while Thys and O'Brien each had a base hit and stolen base. Frenza pitched all six innings, allowed seven hits, four earned runs, two walks and two strikeouts.
 
The offensive woes continued in Game 2 for the Hawks against Meredith (2-3), as they produced just four hits in the game which came from Thys, O'Brien, Sharrock and Leah Gunsett who also started on the mound.
 
The Avenging Angles scored the game's first run in the first, taking advantage of a fielding error to lead off and eventually plated the runner four batters later on a double. They added another run in the second and three more in the third, capitalizing on walk and throwing error to build a 5-0 cushion.
 
SUNY New Paltz earned back a run in the sixth, as O'Brien led off and reached base on an error in left. Sharrock followed with a single through the left side and following a fielder's choice, Gunsett brought Sharrock home on a base hit to break up the shutout. A ground out and pop-out on consecutive at-bats ended the frame with Meredith closing the seventh on three-straight outs to finalize the 5-1 loss.
 
Gunsett suffered her first loss of the season after throwing six innings. She allowed seven hits, four earned runs, four walks and had four strikeouts.
 
SUNY New Paltz returns to the field March 13-14, going down to Salisbury, Maryland for a six-game slate against Stockton, Juniata, NYU, Carnegie Mellon, Lynchburg and Salisbury.


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