New Paltz, N.Y. – Despite a huge offensive day from Conner Gonzalski (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) and a strong showing offensively from Plattsburgh State (14-14, 3-8), the Cardinals fell in both games to New Paltz (14-15, 6-5). The Hawks took game one by a score of 8-7 with a six-run seventh inning and won game two 9-6 in seven innings.
 
Gonzalski had a homerun and double in both games on Monday, driving in four runs and scoring four times. Alex Kornblau (Pound Ridge, NY/Fox Lane) and Kyle Cremin (Yorktown Heights, NY/Kennedy Catholic) each homered as well, as Cremin homered in his first at-bat of the day in game one.
 
Game One: New Paltz 8, Plattsburgh 7
 
Despite out-hitting the Hawks 16 to 8 in game one, the Cardinals fell to New Paltz 8-7, as a six-run bottom of the seventh inning gave the Hawks the lead that their bullpen was able to hold.
 
The Cardinals got off to a fantastic start in the first as Gonzalski hit a one-out double and the first-year Cremin followed with his first collegiate homerun. Two more hits came soon after, but the team stranded two runners, a sign of things to come, as they would strand 11 runners over the nine innings.
 
New Paltz eventually tied things up in the third with a solo homerun, but Andrew Veit (Yaphank, NY/Bellport) was able to give the lead back to Plattsburgh with an infield hit that scored a run in the 5^th. In the 6^th, Gonzalski blasted his first homerun of the year to left, extending the lead to two as Peter Gregory (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) had settled in. Gregory kept the Hawks to just two runs over his first six innings of work, despite starting Friday night's series opener versus Fredonia.
 
In the top of the seventh, the Cardinals extended their lead further, as Mike Rasquin (Garden City, NY/Garden City) singled home two runs with a base hit to left and Kornblau drove Rasquin in with a double to left.
 
Unfortunately for Plattsburgh, the New Paltz started connecting in the seventh as well, finally getting to the starter Gregory and hitting the Cardinal bullpen hard. In the frame, the team posted six runs on four hits to take the lead.
 
Operating with a one-run lead, James Trink and James McGovern combined to throw two scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth to finish off the game and earn the win for New Paltz.
 
Gonzalski was 2-5 with a double and homerun and Kornblau finished 3-5 with an RBI as well.  Aaron Roman (Pelham, NY/Pelham Memorial) also went 3-5 with a run scored and Adam Wein (North Rockland, NY/Don Bosco Prep) got the start at catcher and had a multi-hit game for Plattsburgh, finishing 2-4. Steve Messerschmitt (Fishkill, NY/Carmel) had his fourth multi-hit game in his last six games as he went 2-4 as well in the loss.
 
Game Two: New Paltz 9, Plattsburgh 6
In game two of the day, New Paltz tacked on five early runs to put the Cardinals in a large deficit early that they could not overcome.
 
Trailing 5-0 heading into the third, Kornblau crushed what was then his team-leading third homerun of the season with a solo shot to left. The Hawks added another run in the sixth to go back up five runs heading into the fifth inning.
 
In the fifth, Rasquin singled to lead off the inning and Kornblau drew one of his two walks in the game to set up Gonzalski's second homer of the day and third of the season to tie Kornblau for the team lead. The blast also pulled the Cards within two runs and right back in the game.
 
New Paltz, however, once again got to the Plattsburgh bullpen, scoring three more runs in the sixth to go back up five heading into the final frame. Despite being down five, the Cardinal offense did not quit, scoring two runs in the top of the seventh thanks to some shoddy Hawks defense. The tying run was able to reach the plate for the Cardinals, but the New Paltz reliever was able to record the final out and clinch the series win.
 
Gonzalski was 3-4 in the loss, with three RBIs and two runs scored, to go along with a homerun and double, and Kornblau was 1-2 with three runs scored and two walks to go with his homerun. Roman also doubled for the Cards in the loss as the team had seven hits in the game two loss.
 
Plattsburgh will return to play tomorrow at noon for the series final against New Paltz, looking to avoid the series sweep.