FREDONIA, N.Y. – Senior right fielder Amanda Tantillo (Florida, N.Y./S.S. Seward) had two crucial game-tying hits in the fifth and seventh innings, respectively, and junior catcher Jennifer Groat (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) hit the eventual game-winning home run in the top of the ninth of game two to salvage a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) doubleheader split with Fredonia for the Plattsburgh State softball team on Sunday afternoon at Blue Devil Field.
 
The Blue Devils won, 8-5, in game one before the Cardinals bounced back with a 6-5 victory in nine innings in game two.
 
Groat extended her hitting streak to 38 games and took sole possession of the second-longest streak in NCAA Division III softball history. She now has one mark left to chase: the Division III record of 44, which was set by Moravian College's Heather Bortz from 2003-04. Groat's 38-game hit streak includes the Cardinals' first 27 games this season as well as their final 11 from 2017.
 
Plattsburgh State moves to 13-14 overall (5-5 SUNYAC) with the results and next visits SUNY Cortland tomorrow for a 1 p.m. doubleheader. Fredonia moves to 9-20-1 overall (3-11 SUNYAC) with the results and next hosts Penn State Behrend on Tuesday, April 24, at 3 p.m.
 
Game 1: Fredonia 8, Plattsburgh State 5
 
Though the Cardinals came back and outscored the Blue Devils, 5-1, across the sixth and seventh innings, Fredonia relied on a three-run first, a two-run third and a two-run fifth to build a 7-0 lead it would never relinquish in the game one victory.
 
Fredonia's junior third baseman Cassie Herman hit an RBI double in the first to open scoring, while senior first baseman Katelyn Dennis ripped a two-run home run during the ensuing at-bat to make it a 2-0 game. Dennis hit another two-run homer in the third before freshman shortstop Amber Piniewski scored on a passed ball and Herman plated a run on a single in the fifth to make it a 7-0 score in favor of Fredonia.
 
Tantillo erased the shutout bid in the sixth with a solo home run to left field, but the Blue Devils made it a seven-run margin once again on an RBI groundout in the home half of the inning. That set the stage for a four-run seventh for the Cardinals, as senior center fielder Felicia Torres (Middletown, N.Y./Pine Bush) hit an RBI double to right before Groat uncorked a three-run home run during the Cardinals' next at-bat. Fredonia was able to retire the next two batters, however, to come away with the win.
 
Groat keyed the Cardinal attack, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, a home run and a run scored, while Torres also recorded multiple hits. Herman and Dennis led Fredonia offensively, with Herman going 3-for-3 with two runs scored, two RBI and a double and Dennis batting 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs scored and two home runs.
 
Senior pitcher Katie Pitkin (Dexter, N.Y./General Brown) took the loss in 4 1/3 innings of work, while senior pitcher Taylor Smith (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) allowed one unearned run on a hit while striking out two in 1 2/3 frames of relief.
 
Game 2: Plattsburgh State 6, Fredonia 5 (9 inn.)
 
Tantillo and Groat costarred as the offensive heroes of game two, with Smith earning the win in the circle after throwing 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
 
Down 3-1 heading into the top of the fifth, Tantillo tied the game with a two-run single through the left side, and after Fredonia scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to take a 5-3 lead, Tantillo hit a two-run home run when the Cardinals were down to their final out in the top of the seventh to knot the tally at 5-all.
 
After a scoreless eighth, Groat led off the top of the ninth with a solo home run to right field on a 2-2 count, and that run wound up being the difference. With runners on first and second with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Smith induced a groundout to end the game.
 
Fredonia took a 3-0 lead early. Freshman catcher Eva FitzSimmons drew a bases-loaded walk in the first before senior center fielder Lauren Pixley made it a 2-0 game with a sacrifice fly during the ensuing at-bat. Freshman second baseman Makenzie Keeler padded the lead for the Blue Devils with an RBI single in the second.
 
Senior left fielder Dominique Zummo (Commack, N.Y./St. Anthony's) pushed across a run with a groundout in the fourth to put Plattsburgh State on the board before Tantillo tied the game in the fifth. Freshman left fielder Megan Maull stole home on a double-steal in the sixth before junior designated player Rhianna Paoletti drove in a run on a bunt single to give Fredonia a 5-3 advantage.
 
Tantillo keyed the Plattsburgh State offense with a 2-for-5 performance at the plate that included four RBI, a run scored and a home run, while Groat batted 2-for-4 with four runs scored, a triple, a home run and an RBI. Senior first baseman Kelsey Gage (Pine Bush, N.Y./Pine Bush) and junior third baseman Amy Glashoff (Montrose, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) also had multi-hit games for the Cardinals. Paoletti and Alyssa Piniewski both led Fredonia with three hits apiece.
 
The Blue Devils used three pitchers in the loss, with sophomore pitcher Sam Seegar being the pitcher of record.