PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – The State University of New York at New Paltz baseball team split a pair of games once again at the Snowbird Classic, edging Nichols College, 3-2, before falling, 7-5, to Farmingdale State College in the nightcap.
New Paltz moves to 7-7 overall and faces Birmingham-Southern College tomorrow at 2 p.m. Nichols drops to 0-4 and squares off with Farmingdale State tomorrow at 12 p.m. Farmingdale State advances to 7-2 overall and meets up with Nichols tomorrow at 12 p.m.
New Paltz 3, Nichols 2
Junior designated hitter Stanley DeLaCruz (Bronx, N.Y./High School of International Business and Finance) plated the go-ahead run in the seventh with an RBI double to center field, as the Hawks beat Nichols, 3-2, marking their second win over the Bison in as many days.
New Paltz, which finished with 11 hits, scored early, pushing across two runs in the first inning. Sophomore right fielder/left fielder Taylor Anderson (East New Market, Md./Cambridge-South Dorchester) brought in sophomore center fielder Tom Dieckhoff (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) with an RBI single before sophomore second baseman Tyler Bell (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) plated Anderson later on in the inning.
Nichols got one back in third with an RBI single by sophomore designated hitter Joseph Nicolace, and the Bison tied the game in the fifth with an RBI base knock by sophomore catcher Benjamin Harrow.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, junior left fielder Shaun Hansen (Southold, N.Y./Greenport) pinch hit for Anderson and doubled to left field. DeLaCruz made the most of a two-out situation with a runner 180 feet away from home during the team's next at-bat, as he drove an RBI double to center field to score Hansen. That wound up being the difference in the game, as the Hawks clamped down defensively in the eighth and ninth innings to come away with the win.
Freshman pitcher Luke Schuessler (Highland Mills, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) did not earn a decision, working 4 2/3 innings and allowing two runs off eight hits while striking out two. Junior pitcher Roy Missall (Hemlock, N.Y./Honeoye Central) was credited with the win in relief, throwing the final 4 1/3 innings and holding the Bison both hitless and scoreless.
Nichols' senior pitcher Tyler Shute was tagged with the loss, yielding three runs off 11 hits while striking out six.
DeLaCruz paced the Hawk bats with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, posting two doubles and one RBI. Sophomore third baseman Andrew DiNardo (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) and senior catcher David Lostaglio (Milton, N.Y./Marlboro Central) each batted 2-for-4, with Lostaglio adding a triple.
Harrow and freshman first baseman Jeff Sylvester each had two hits to lead the Bison offense.
Farmingdale State 7, New Paltz 5
A four-run fifth inning by Farmingdale State led the Rams to the come-from-behind 7-5 victory over the Hawks.
Farmingdale State got things going early, scoring twice in the first. Bell brought in a run on a sacrifice fly in the second to pull the Hawks within one, but the Rams extended the lead in the home half of the second with a double steal.
New Paltz pushed across three runs in the third, as DiNardo doubled in a pair of runs before Hansen drove in a run with an RBI single. In the fourth, the Hawks went up, 5-3, after Dieckhoff plated junior first baseman Mike Sparacino (Commack, N.Y./Commack) with no outs.
The Rams broke the game open in the fifth, as junior right fielder Michael Marino doubled in a run before an error eventually led to three unearned runs to give Farmingdale State a 7-5 edge. New Paltz was unable to make a comeback bid, as the Rams pulled out the victory.
Senior pitcher Mike Pastorino (Stormville, N.Y./John Jay) did not earn a decision, lasting two innings and giving up three runs off four hits and a walk. Junior pitcher Tyler Mitts (Nanuet, N.Y./Don Bosco Prep) sustained the loss, allowing four runs (one earned) off three hits and one walk while striking out two.
Senior pitcher Michael Dolce earned the win for Farmingdale State, yielding five runs off 10 hits and two walks while striking out four. Sophomore pitcher Alex Weingarten was credited with the save, tossing 2 1/3 innings out of the bullpen and allowing just one hit and one walk.
Senior second baseman Steven Morse (East Northport, N.Y./Commack) keyed the Hawk attack with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate while adding a stolen base. DiNardo hit 2-for-4 with two runs scored, two RBI and two doubles, while Sparacino went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a double. Junior righr fielder Richard Guido (Ulster Park, N.Y./Kingston) finished with three stolen bases and came around to score once.
Senior center fielder Edward Bergmann and Marino each had multiple hits for Farmingdale State. Bergmann was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base, while Marino batted 2-fo-4 with a run scored, an RBI, a double and a stolen base.