New Paltz Baseball Splits with Oneonta on Senior Day

By Ryan Novitsky

NEW PALTZ – The State University of New York at New Paltz baseball team split with visiting SUNY Oneonta on Saturday, winning game one, 5-2, before falling in game two, 8-1, at Loren Campbell Field on Senior Day.

The Hawks (12-10, 5-5 SUNYAC) won the series with Oneonta, 2-1, and will face No. 6 Cortland tomorrow in an Easter Sunday double header starting at noon. New Paltz fell to Cortland 6-2 on Thursday. Oneonta moves to 11-13, 3-8 SUNYAC.

In between games on Saturday, the program honored its three senior members: Kyle Gilligan, Anthony Diana and Taylor Anderson.

Game One: New Paltz 5, Oneonta 2

Junior Jake Williams finished 2-for-4 with two RBI in the leadoff spot and sophomore Ryan Frost went 2-for-2 as the Hawks held off Oneonta in the opener.

Junior Chris Moran drove in two runs for New Paltz.

On the hill, junior righty Conor Donachie earned the start and threw 3 2/3 innings (97 pitches), striking out three while allowing two runs on five hits in the no decision.

Junior Ryan Votypka appeared out of the pen and tossed the final 3 1/3 frames (48 pitches) without allowing a run or hit while striking out two for his second win this spring.

Game Two: Oneonta 8, New Paltz 1

The Hawks only managed three hits against Oneonta’s Thomas Bond and struck out nine times in game two.

Diana enjoyed a double to left field in the fourth. The game was scoreless until the seventh inning when both teams tacked on a run. Freshman Savino Citriniti scored the team’s lone run on a passed ball.

Junior southpaw Brian LoRusso suffered the defeat (1-4), allowing three earned runs. LoRusso was enjoying a no-hitter through six innings until giving up a lead-off single in the top of the seventh. The crafty lefty tossed 78 pitches.

Freshman Anthony Amoroso and sophomore Danny Campbell both appeared in relief.