Hawks Earn Big Doubleheader Sweep of Oswego

By Monica D’Ippolito

NEW PALTZ – Backed by two stout pitching performances Saturday, the State University of New York at New Paltz took both games over visiting Oswego to earn the series sweep in their SUNYAC opener.

The Hawks improved to 14-4 with the victories and 2-0 in the SUNYAC after winning game one, 3-1 and game two, 7-3.

Lindsay Roman pitched the first game for SUNY New Paltz and went the full seven innings, giving up just six hits, one earned run and one walk with seven strikeouts.

Oswego took the lead in the top of the second, but the Hawks provided Roman run support in the bottom of the third. Sydney Bonewit led off with a base hit before Lauren Serrao reached on an error. Jaycee Filancia moved both over with a sacrifice hit before Jillian Shelbourne came through two batters later with a two RBI double to deep center to give her team the lead. Kelly Marmorowski followed with a double to center as well, platting Shelbourne and extending the lead, 3-1.

Roman did the rest of the work as she gave up just one hit in the final three innings to close out the 3-1 victory.

Sydney Waldon doubled down on the prolific pitching performance for SUNY New Paltz as she set a new single game program record in strikeouts in the 7-3 victory in game two.
Despite the strikeout rate from Waldon, Oswego took the initial lead in the top of the third.

However, the Hawks quickly tied the score at 2-2 in the bottom half. Jackie Rometo was clutch, hitting a two-out, two-RBI single up the middle to score Rhionna Bianchini and Kelsey O’Brien who got on with a hit-by-pitch and a walk, respectively.

The game was kept at a stalemate until the sixth. SUNY New Paltz stranded runners in scoring position in the fourth and fifth innings, but the Hawks finally capitalized in the bottom of the sixth. The inning was prolonged on a high pop up that gave the Lakers trouble, looking as though it would fall foul, the wind took the ball in play and landed directly on the third base bag, giving Filancia a base hit. The unorthodox single was the turning point of the game, as O’Brien followed up with a single to score Filancia for the go-ahead run. Shelbourne then added two more insurance runs with an exclamation point at the end as she crushed a ball over the right field fence crashing into the scoreboard for a two-run homer.

Maddie Anderson came into pinch hit for Bianchini following a double from Marmorowski and the freshman came through with rip to shallow center to bring home Kate Hope who pinch ran for Marmorowski. Rometo then capped the scoring, knocking an RBI base hit to score Anderson and extend the lead to 7-2.

Waldon closed out the seventh with all three outs coming in a form of a K as she solidified the program record with her 14th strikeout to end the game. The Maplewood, NJ native improved to 8-1 after tossing seven innings, allowing just six hits, one earned run and two walks to go along with her record-setting 14 strikeouts, breaking the previous single-game record of 12 set back in 1999 by Erin Conklin.

O’Brien and Rometo each had three hits to lead SUNY New Paltz offensively. O’Brien went 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, while Rometo hit 2-for-4 with three RBI with the duo combining for three stolen bases.