NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz baseball team took two of a three-game series over SUNY Plattsburgh on Saturday afternoon as the teams split a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) twinbill. New Paltz won the first game, 3-0, before falling 8-4 in game two.
 
The Hawks move to 10-6-2, 4-2 SUNYAC and are back home on Tuesday, March 29 when they host The College at Old Westbury at 4 p.m. The Cardinals improve to 3-17, 1-5 SUNYAC and next play Mount Saint Mary College on Friday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m.
 
Game 1: New Paltz 3, Plattsburgh 0 
 
After three scoreless innings, New Paltz made its move in the bottom of the fourth. Senior pinch runner Kyle Gilligan(Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) took advantage of a Plattsburgh error to advance to third base before junior left fielder Taylor Anderson (East New Market, Md./Cambridge-South Dorchester) hit a sacrifice fly to center field to bring him home and put the Hawks, 1-0, on the scoreboard.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, sophomore center fielder Jake Williams (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) scored on a wild pitch to put the Hawks up, 2-0, before senior third baseman/pitcher Andrew DiNardo (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay-East Fishkill) added an insurance run on a single by senior first baseman Chris Baltera (Commack, N.Y./Commack) for the final 3-0 margin. The Hawks clinched the win as senior pitcher Christian Huertas (Bronx, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) kept the Cardinals scoreless for the final two innings. 
 
Senior catcher Tyler Bell (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) went 2-for-3 at the plate while DiNardo also went 2-for-3 and plated one run. Baltera finished the game going 1-for-1 with one RBI.
 
For Plattsburgh, sophomore catcher Travis Brown and junior left fielder Billy Rombauts went 1-for-3 at the plate while junior designated hitter Trevor Markey and freshman center fielder Kilvio Garcia were 1-for-2.
 
Huertas gave up four hits and struck out three batters to earn the win, improving to 2-1 on the season. Senior pitcher Scott Orr picked up the loss, allowing three runs off five hits and walked eight batters.
 
Game 2: Plattsburgh 8, New Paltz 4
 
Plattsburgh took advantage of two New Paltz errors to score three runs in the first inning before adding three more runs in the top of the second to extend its lead to 6-0. With two outs against the Hawks in the bottom of the inning, Williams scored on an Anderson single to place New Paltz on the scoreboard, but the Hawks would not find another scoring opportunity as the Cardinals collected the third out to end the inning.
 
Plattsburgh held the Hawks scoreless until the bottom of the sixth when Anderson ripped a double to left center, bringing in sophomore second baseman/shortstop Anthony Pantano (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale) to cut the score to 6-2.
 
Pantano added another run in the bottom of the eighth to trim the deficit to 6-3 before Bell was walked with bases loaded to send home sophomore pinch hitter Chris Moran (Wading River, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River) for the Hawks' fourth run. But the Cardinals added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth to seal the win.
 
Anderson was 2-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs while DePietro and Bell both went 2-for-4 and collected one RBI apiece.
 
Rombauts was 3-for-4 at the plate with three runs and one RBI. Markey and second baseman Jack Tolosky tallied two RBIs each for the Cardinals while Brown and Garcia both tallied a run.
 
Junior pitcher Kyle Kreps (Commack, N.Y./Commack) picked up the loss, giving up six runs off four hits. Freshman pitcher Matt Fox allowed two runs off five hits to earn the win. while sophomore pitcher Ross Levinson retired the six batters he faced and allowed one hit to pick up the save in relief.