New Paltz Hawks Salvage Split at No. 18 Cortland

By Ryan Novitsky

CORTLAND – Sunday’s doubleheader at SUNY Cortland was a tale of two completely different games for the State University of New York at New Paltz softball program.

The Hawks (15-17, 9-7 SUNYAC) took game one, 6-1, before falling in game two, 16-0 in five innings, to the host Red Dragons (24-8, 13-1 SUNYAC).

Through Sunday’s games, New Paltz is now tied for second place in the SUNYAC standings with 18 overall points with Oneonta, Oswego and Plattsburgh.

Cortland clinched the No. 1 seed and will host the SUNYAC tournament from May 4-6.
New Paltz will travel to Sage on Wednesday, April 26 at 3:30 p.m. before heading to Oneonta on Saturday, April 29 at 12 p.m. in a doubleheader with huge playoff seeding implications.

Game One: New Paltz 6, No. 18 Cortland 1

The Hawks scored twice in the first, thrice in the third and took advantage of six errors by Cortland in game one.

Freshman Julia DiSpigna finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and junior leadoff Taylor Leonette went 2-for-3 with one run scored.

Both sophomore Taylor LaFrance and senior Fallon Spriggs scored two runs.

Junior Lauren Cappello earned her 12th win of the spring, going all seven frames while scattering seven hits and allowing just one run and striking out three. Cappello forced 13 fly outs and five grounds outs on the day.

In the top of the first, LaFrance scored on an RBI groundout by sophomore Shannon Fee and Spriggs touched home on a throwing error by the Cortland catcher to take a 2-0 lead.
In the third, Leonette scored off a throwing error by the Red Dragons’ third baseman and DiSpigna came through with a two-run double to right center, plating Spriggs and LaFrance, as New Paltz jumped ahead 5-0.

Cortland ruined the shutout bid in the third on a sacrifice fly before the Hawks added an insurance run in the sixth as LaFrance singled through the right side to score junior Alexa Mastando.

Game Two: No. 18 Cortland 16. New Paltz 0 (Five innings)

Cortland woke up in game two and responded with a 16-run outburst and allowed just two New Paltz hits. The Hawks were hurt by three errors as well.

Fee and freshman Nicole DePaola registered the base knocks for the Hawks.
Cortland scored twice in the first, six times in the second and seven runs in the fourth to run away in game two, taking the contest in five innings.

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