NP Splits With Oneonta in Regular Season Finale

By Colleen Gonzalez

ONEONTA – The State University of New York at New Paltz softball team has secured a spot in the 2017 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament as the Hawks split their regular season finale with SUNY Oneonta on Saturday afternoon. The host Red Dragons took game one, 5-4, while the Hawks won game two, 9-5.

The Hawks (18-18, 10-8 SUNYAC) earn the No. 5 seed in the upcoming SUNYAC Tournament where they will play No. 2 seed SUNY Oswego at SUNY Cortland on Thursday, May 4 at 11 a.m. Oneonta (22-12, 10-8 SUNYAC) earns the No. 6 seed and faces off against No. 1 seed Cortland on Thursday, May 4 at 9 a.m.

Currently New Paltz holds a 22-19 lead in Catskill Cup standings with baseball, softball and women’s lacrosse post season finishes to still be determined.

Game One: Oneonta 5, New Paltz 4

Senior Nicole DeCosta landed the Hawks with a 2-0 lead in the first inning as the senior catcher hit a single through the left side to bring home freshman Julie DiSpigna and junior Taylor Leonette. The Red Dragons tied up the score in the bottom of the inning but the Hawks pulled ahead, 4-2, as junior Alexa Mastando and senior Fallon Spriggs each scored a run in the third and sixth innings, respectively.

Despite having two outs with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, the Red Dragons pulled out the win on a walk off double to left center to secure the 5-4 win.

DeCosta batted 3-for-3 at the plate with three RBI while Mastando went 2-for-3 with one run and Spriggs went 1-for-3. Capello earned the loss in the circle, scattering nine hits across 6 ½ innings and walking one batter.

Game Two: New Paltz 9, Oneonta 5

New Paltz racked up a 2-0 advantage in the opening inning but the Red Dragons answered in the bottom of the first with four runs to take the lead.

Oneonta managed to make it a 5-2 game with another run in the bottom of the fifth but New Paltz made its own move in the top of the sixth. With DiSpigna in scoring position DeCosta singled to bring her home, cutting the deficit to 5-3. Senior Megan Carbia pounded out a triple to plate freshman pinch runner Nicole DePaola before capitalizing off of a Oneonta throwing error to score a run of her own, bringing the game to a 5-all tally.

With two outs against the Hawks, senior Kiersten Carlomagno reached on a catcher’s interference before being brought home by a triple from Mastando. Leonette followed behind with a single to plate Mastando, giving the Hawks a 7-5 edge at the end of the inning.

In the top of the seventh, the Hawks capitalized off of a wild pitch to extend their lead to 8-5 before junior Juila Perhacs (Robbinsville, N.J./Robbinsville) singled up the middle to plate DeCosta to seal the final 9-5 score.

DeCosta went 2-for-3 at the plate with one run and two RBI while Leonette went 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Carbia was 1-for-1 and also tallied one run and one RBI for the Hawks.

Cappello earned her 15th win in the circle, the fourth most wins in program history, giving up 12 hits across seven innings while walking one batter and striking out two.

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