PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State baseball team once again paid tribute to late Cardinal Brian Mehan in its annual Brian Mehan Be The Match Game on Wednesday evening, defeating Norwich University by a 4-1 score at Lefty Wilson Field.

The Cardinals have never lost a game in which they have honored Mehan, improving to 4-0 in Be The Match games. On the season, Plattsburgh State strings together back-to-back wins for the first time this season, ballooning to 6-27 while Norwich drops to 4-28 on the year.

Prior to the start of the game, the Cardinal starters were joined on the field by Special Olympians from Clinton and Essex Counties. The national anthem was performed by the Plattsburgh State Gospel Choir, while student Nicole Collado threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Collado, a junior at SUNY Plattsburgh, took part in the baseball team's Be The Match swabbing drive last year, and was identified as a positive match for a 21-year-old in New Jersey suffering from Leukemia. Collado underwent a bone marrow transplant procedure late last year to help save that person's life.

In the game, Cardinal freshman Matt Fox fired six innings of one-run ball, earning his fifth win of the season to improve to 5-3. Junior T.J. Montalbano dominated on the mound over the final three innings, allowing just one hit while striking out five batters to earn his first career save.

All of the scoring was done in the fourth inning. The Cadets' number one and two hitters, Kevin Lynch and Mike Lesco, would both single to start the frame. After Tim Haggerty sacrificed the runners to second and third, Ed Gates flew out to left, scoring Lynch on the sacrifice fly and giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.

The Cardinals responded in the bottom half of the inning just like Norwich had in the top half. Montalbano and Jon Craft each singled, before the pair would execute a double steal of second and third. Following a Trevor Markey walk, Billy Rombauts flew one to left center that the center fielder could not come up with, moving each runner up a base as Plattsburgh State tied the game at 1-1 on the error.

Ray Flynn grounded out softly to second for the first out of the inning, plating what would end up being the game-winning run.

Now with two outs in the inning, freshman Frank Finkbeiner would give the Cardinals some insurance as the Stone Ridge, N.Y., product drove a double into the right-center gap, scoring two runs and extending the Plattsburgh State lead to 4-1.

Fox and Montalbano combined to shut down the Norwich offense over the final five innings. The only hit in that stretch came with two outs in the seventh. After pinch hitter RJ Sargent worked a walk, pinch hitter Brandon Pedley singled to right field. Senior Eric Rock showed off his arm by firing a strike to third, throwing out Sargent who was trying to go first to third.

Montalbano struck out the side in the eighth before fanning the first two hitters in the ninth. The Dix Hills, N.Y., native got Ed Gates to ground out to third on a nine-pitch at-bat to close out the win for Plattsburgh State.

All of the six hits the Cardinals produced came from six different hitters.

With its home schedule wrapped up, Plattsburgh State will close out the season by heading to Fredonia to play a three-game set with the Blue Devils. The SUNYAC series is set to begin on Friday at 3 p.m. with a single, nine-inning contest.