Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CLERMONT, Fla. – The Plattsburgh State softball team suffered a pair of one-run losses Sunday afternoon, but showed signs of significant improvement in the second day of action at the Dot Richardson Games at the National Training Center.
 
Game One: Keene State 4, Plattsburgh State 3
The Cardinals rallied late to take the lead, but Keene State plated two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to hand Plattsburgh State a 4-3 loss.
 
Sam Capobianco's solo home run in the top of the second inning gave the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead. The Owls responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning to jump in front, 2-1.
 
Plattsburgh State struggled at the plate throughout much of the game, striking out 14 times, before the Cardinals were able to string together some offense in the top of the seventh. Shelby Heyward got things started with a double before being lifted for pinch runner Natasha Schultz. Samantha Tenney's single put runners at first and second before Kerry McCarty drove home Schultz with an RBI single to tie the game. Nicole Chiarello followed with a single to score Tenney to put the Cardinals up by a run.
 
The Cardinals' pitching staff was unable to close it out as Keene State scored two for the walk-off win. Sam Moss pitched into the seventh, allowing five hits, four runs and three walks while striking out two in the loss.
 
Plattsburgh State finished the game with six hits while Keene State picked up seven hits. The Cardinals committed four errors in the loss.
 
Game Two: Wis.-River Falls 6, Plattsburgh State 5 (8 inn.)
Plattsburgh State continued to show resiliency in game two but the Cardinals came up just short in a 6-5 loss in eight innings to Wis.-River Falls.
 
After a lead-off double and a passed ball placed Amber O'Connell on third, the Falcons got RBI singles from Sarah Bohlen and Kaitlyn LePine to give Wis.-River Falls a 2-0 lead at the end of the first.
 
An RBI single by Ali Murray in the bottom of the fourth put the Falcons up by three but Plattsburgh State's Morgan Anderson was able to minimize the damage in the inning, stranding runners on first and second.
 
Despite having just one hit through the first five innings, Plattsburgh State started to show signs of life in the sixth after a lead-off single by Kayla Rabideau. A sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch allowed Rabideau to advance to third before an RBI single by Brittany Marshall brought Rabideau around to score the Cardinals' first run of the game. Later in the inning, Capobianco singled to center field, allowing Marshall to score and bring Plattsburgh State within one run.
 
The Cardinals' added two more in the seventh as Rabideau again served as the catalyst, driving home Kerry McCarty on a single to right field before later scoring on an error and giving Plattsburgh State a 4-3 lead.
 
A two-out single by Abby Veloske allowed Wis.-River Falls to tie it up and force extra innings.
 
In order to speed the games up in extra innings the teams automatically start with a player on second base. Plattsburgh State was able to take advantage as Marshall scored on a lead-off single by Brianna Clarke to put the Cardinals up 5-4.
 
The Falcons tied it up in the bottom half of the eighth on a passed ball before the winning run scored on Brooke Lauritzen's sacrifice fly.
 
Kristin Fisher started in the circle for the Cardinals, allowing three hits and two runs in one inning of work. Morgan Anderson tossed 4.1 innings, giving up one run on six hits and striking out one. Moss suffered the loss, surrendering three runs on two hits and walking four through 2.1 innings.
 
Spring games resume tomorrow as Plattsburgh State plays McDaniel College at 3 p.m. and Western Connecticut State at 5 p.m.