Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – On a day which saw the Plattsburgh State baseball team recognize the contributions of its senior class, the Cardinals saw their bats spring to life during a 1-1 afternoon against their State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) rivals New Paltz. Both games on Saturday capped off the Cardinals' home debut at Chip Cummings Field.

The Cardinals - who registered 25 hits on the afternoon - move to 10-19 and 5-10 in conference confrontations while the Hawks' record goes to 14-18 and 6-10 in SUNYAC play. 

GAME ONE: New Paltz 4, Plattsburgh State 3 (9 inn.)
Only seven innings were scheduled to be played in the first game of the conference twinbill, but the Cardinals fought back to force extra innings when Nick Lupo crossed home plate to score an unearned run and knot the score at three-all in the home half of the seventh inning.

With the bases loaded and no outs during the Cardinals final regulation set of ups, freshman left fielder Jeremy Rodriguez bounced into a 4-6-3 double play to plate the junior who led off the frame by reaching on the only New Paltz error of the bout.

Plattsburgh State wound up facing a total of seven different pitchers for the Hawks in the nine-inning tilt with no New Paltz hurler working for more than 2.1 innings.
The Hawks took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Robert Fitzpatrick scratched across an unearned run with an RBI groundout.

It didn't take long for the Cardinals to respond, though, as both Lupo and Yuya Osawa led off the home half of the first with singles. After Brian Latulipe laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position, Lupo tallied his first run of the game on a wild pitch from New Paltz starter Chris Pyz.

Another wild pitch by Pyz almost put another Plattsburgh State run on the board, but Osawa was caught in a rundown when the ball bounced almost directly back to New Paltz catcher Andrew DiNardo who began the sequence which eventually recorded the second out.

The first bases-loaded situation of the game for the Cardinals came in the very next inning. Frank Buksa began the inning by smashing the first pitch he saw from Pyz to left field. Luke Weaver followed with a single before senior John Casten drew a five-pitch walk to load the bags.

Jonathan Repetto grounded into a double play to score Buksa and put the Cardinals up 2-1. That lead stood until the fourth inning when Shaun Hansen poked an RBI single up the middle to plate Mike Sparacino who began the frame with a two-base hit.

New Paltz secured its second lead of the game in the top of the fifth despite getting just one hit in the inning. Cardinals' starter JD Jenkins gave up a walk and hit a batter after he had induced the first out of the frame. Tyler Bell made matters 3-2 Hawks with an RBI single to right which scored Richard Guido.

Jenkins was still going strong for the Cardinals in the ninth, but the junior surrendered the game-winning run on a wild pitch with a pair of outs in the books. Guido, who reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to third on a single by Steven Morse, came around to record the clinching score.

Receiving the tough setback was Jenkins (2-4), who pitched a full nine innings while giving up nine hits, two walks and three earned runs while striking out four. Luke Schuessler (1-1) went on to receive credit for the win as the freshman tossed 2.1 innings of two-hit ball. Christian Huertas picked up the save by getting the final two outs of the game.

The Cardinals mashed 13 hits in the loss, including a game-high three by Latulipe. Buksa, Lupo, Osawa and Weaver each had two-hit games. New Paltz had nine hits during the game.

GAME TWO: Plattsburgh State 3, New Paltz 2 (9 inn.)
Led by a 4-for-4 performance at the plate by Buksa, the Cardinals were able to secure a split with the Hawks in their one-run triumph during game two.

Plattsburgh State smashed another 12 hits in the second tilt and received another great performance on the hill from junior Will Flynn. Although he gave up an RBI single to Bell in the first inning to put the Hawks up 1-0, the Peru, N.Y., product settled into a nice groove from there by allowing just five more hits the rest of the way.

In the home half of the third, freshman Billy Rombauts led things off with a single and recorded the game-tying run on an RBI single by Osawa.

Two New Paltz errors in the fifth helped Plattsburgh State take the lead for good. Both Ben Weightman and Lupo reached the base paths on miscues by Morse before Latulipe waltzed to the dish and slapped a two-out RBI single to left field. The hit from the junior scored Weightman and put the Cardinals in front 2-1.

What would prove to be a pivotal insurance run for the home-standing Cardinals came in the bottom of the eighth inning. Rodriguez and Buksa began the frame with back-to-back singles and were moved into scoring position on a groundout by Chris Pescetti.

After Weaver drew an intentional walk by Hansen, who was appearing in relief of New Paltz starter Huertas, Rodriguez was lifted for pinch runner Shunsuke Sugimoto. The Tokyo, Japan, product made it 3-1 when he came home on an RBI groundout by Casten.

Osawa came in during the ninth after Flynn gave up a leadoff single to Stanley DeLaCruz. The right-hander saw the Hawks cut the Cardinals' lead in half on an RBI groundout, but stopped the rally by inducing another infield out to secure his second save of the season.

Flynn improved to 2-4 by working eight innings and scattering seven hits. Huertas (2-3) was hit with the loss for New Paltz as he fired seven innings while giving up 11 hits and a pair of earned runs.

Plattsburgh State is scheduled to return to non-conference play next week when they head to Lyndon State University in Lyndonville, Vt., to play a single, nine-inning game with the Hornets. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon.