NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – A first-inning lead held up for the entirety of the game, as the State University of New York at New Paltz baseball team (10-12) defeated Fairleigh Dickinson-College at Florham (11-13) in non-conference action by a score of 8-5 on Tuesday at Loren Campbell Memorial Field.
 
After allowing a run in the top of the first, the Hawks rallied for two runs to take the lead in their first at bat. With the bases loaded and one out, senior first baseman Thomas Pinnola (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) hit a sacrifice fly to left field that scored junior second baseman Kenny Gentile (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) from third to tie the game. With runners on the corners, senior left fielder Anthony Repetto (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) was able to score when senior third baseman Matt Prescia (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) got into a rundown trying to steal second. Prescia was eventually tagged out, but the leading run was able to score before the out was recorded.
 
The Hawks never trailed again in Tuesday's matchup, which featured 15 pitchers and seven lineup changes. Junior relief pitcher Mike Pastorino (Stormville, N.Y./John Jay) was awarded the win after tossing scoreless fifth and sixth innings, yielding just one hit and striking out two batters. FDU starter Justin White suffered the loss after allowing four runs (two earned) in 1.2 innings.
 
The Hawks added to their early lead in the second with two more runs. FDU got on the board again in the fourth with a run, but the Hawks negated it with a run of their own in the home half of the inning. Another pair of runs in the fifth pushed the New Paltz lead to 7-2, which was cut to 7-5 when the Devils picked up a run in the seventh and two more in the eighth. The Hawks picked up an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth before sophomore relief pitcher Brian Solomon (New Windsor, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) closed out the game, earning his first save in the process.
 
Senior center fielder Matt Carr (Westbury, N.Y./Long Island Lutheran) led the Hawks, going 3-for-5 with two RBI on the afternoon. Repetto batted 2-for-3 with a run scored on the afternoon, while junior shortstop Steven Morse (East Northport, N.Y./Commack) went 1-for-2 with two runs, an RBI and two stolen bases.
 
Outfielder James Dertousos went 2-for-5 for the Devils, knocking in a run and scoring one of his own. Left fielder Nick Core also batted 2-for-5 with an RBI, while designated hitter Ben Lyman went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
 
The Hawks next play on Friday, April 12, when they begin a three-game series at SUNY Fredonia. First pitch for Friday's nine-inning contest is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday's doubleheader is slated to begin at 12 p.m.