Salisbury, MD — The State University of New York New Paltz drove down to the Eastern Shore of Maryland to compete in the Margie Knight Tournament starting Friday morning. However, a quick snow front came through, delaying the Hawks' opening day in Salisbury, MD to an afternoon back-to-back against Stockton and Juniata.
 
The Hawks (2-4 overall) were in a tight game against the Ospreys but fell in walk off fashion 3-2 and couldn't bounce back in Game 2, as they succumbed to a tough 12-0 run-ruled six-inning defeat to the Eagles.
 
Alex Frenza started Game 1 against Stockton and pitched well, going 6.1 innings, allowing just six hits, three earned runs and three walks with four strikeouts. SUNY New Paltz gave Frenza a 1-0 lead in the third, helped by a lead-off walk from Michaela Bridgwood. The Hawks then got another runner on following an error on a grounder back to the pitcher by Ava Thys to get two on with no outs. Ella Sharrock batted in Bridgwood two batters later on a sacrifice fly to left, but the offense stalled there with SUNY New Paltz clinging to a 1-0 lead.
 
The Hawks added a run in the fifth with Thys keeping the inning alive with a two-out base hit to shallow center field. Kelsey O'Brien followed up and belted an RBI double to left to create a 2-0 cushion for her side, but a flyout again stalled the inning with the Hawks taking a 2-0 lead into the bottom half where the Ospreys answered.
 
Stockton plated back-to-back runs on a two-out single, then double to tie the game at 2-2. Frenza anchored in and limited the damage, stranding a runner at second following a strikeout swinging to end the inning.  
The Hawks were blanked in the following two innings, including three straight outs to close the seventh. A walk kept the Ospreys alive in the bottom half with a bunt single moving a runner over before an RBI double scored the game-winning run to cement the 3-2 outcome in favor of Stockton.
 
Thys led the offense, going 2-for-3 with a run scored. O'Brien added an RBI double with Frenza the only other Hawk to register a hit in the game, going 1-for-3.
 
Game 2 against Juniata was disappointing for the Hawks. They registered just five hits in the game and walked five batters with two others hit by pitch and in the field registered four errors, while the Eagles tallied 14 hits, all on singles to win in five-innings played.
 
Thys, Sharrock, Maddie Anderson and Brianna Hardwick all registered hits in the game for the Hawks. SUNY New Paltz had runners in scoring position twice, in the second and fourth innings with another good chance to get on the board coming in the third as Thys led-off with a base hit. However, the junior tried extending the play on an overthrow and was tagged out trying to get to second for an early out. Two ground outs ensued to end the threat.
 
Anderson led off with a single to start the second and stole second to get herself in scoring position with one out, but ground outs sandwiched with a walk stranded two runners, and in the fourth, Hardwick kept the inning alive with a two-out single. Jenna Carmody, coming in for starting second baseman Lauren Serrao, followed with a base hit to add runners on first and second, but the threat ended there on a ground out on the next at-bat.
 
SUNY New Paltz resumes play in the Margie Knight Tournament Saturday for a doubleheader against NYU at 11 a.m. before taking on Carnegie Mellon University at 3:30 p.m.
 

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