New Paltz, NY — The State University of New York New Paltz returned home to the confines of Loren Campbell Field Sunday to complete its three-game series against SUNYAC rival SUNY Cortland and fell, 7-3.
 
Matt Sarni suffered the loss after throwing the opening 3.1 innings, conceding eight hits, five earned runs with two walks and three strikeouts. The Red Dragons did well to stay alive in at-bats and forced Sarni into 80-plus pitches before Connor Catania came in for relief in the fourth with the Red Dragons holding a 4-2 advantage.
 
Cortland was first to score in the third after leading off the inning with a double. The visitors started finding some luck against Sarni, knocking back-to-back base hits before a two-run single down the right field line platted two more to bring the lead to 4-0. The Hawks answered in the bottom half with Sarni, batting leadoff as well, kept the inning alive with a two-out base hit. Fabian Apicella answered on a lined single to shallow center before Wallace Kirkpatrick brought Sarni home on an RBI knock to right. Tommy Poggi, the former Red Dragon, added on, coming in clutch with an RBI base hit through the left side to plate Apicella, cutting the score 4-2.
 
The Red Dragons had the bases loaded in the fourth, but Catania limited the damage giving up just a sacrifice fly before forcing another flyout to close out the top half with Cortland leading. 5-2. Christian Apicella earned a free base on five pitches with one out in the bottom of the fourth. Louis Kalab drove a single to left center to bring Christian Apicella home to get his team within two. The Red Dragons opted for a pitching change, as Connor Hayden came in for starter Talon Elkins with Hayden forcing a pop-out against Sarni to close out the side.
 
 
Hayden was efficient in the following four innings, giving up just two hits and a walk with both coming against Poggi who belted doubles in his following at-bats. Poggi knocked a two-out double to deep left in the fifth, but a ground out ended the threat. He then went the other way next time up, ripping a double to right center to give his team a chance for a rally in the eighth. Hayden escaped unscathed, however, forcing a ground out and then a fielder's choice to hold his team's lead.
 
Chirstian Apicella led off the ninth with a walk as the Hawks tried to take advantage of another pitching change from the Red Dragons. After a ground out, Kaleb worked a walk to get two on with one-out, but a fly out and a strikeout looking ended the game in favor of the visitors.
 
Poggi accounted for three of SUNY New Paltz's seven hits in the game, as he finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and two doubles, along with a stolen base against his former team. Kaleb added a hit, an RBI and two walks, while Fabian Apciella and Sarni each had a hit and run scored.
 
SUNY New Paltz resumes action possibly Tuesday, scheduled to play St. Joseph's-Brooklyn for a single game on Loren Campbell Field at 12 p.m.
 

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