New Paltz, N.Y. - Conner Gonzalski (Cicero, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse) homered for the third game in a row and Andrew Veit (Yaphank, NY/Bellport) tossed eight strong innings as Plattsburgh State (15-14, 4-8) defeated New Paltz (14-16, 6-6) by a score of 8-5. The Cardinals avoid the series sweep with a win today and keep their playoff hopes alive as they face Oneonta and Brockport to finish out the SUNYAC season. 

Gonzalski finished the day 2-4 with a homer and double, scoring once and driving in two runs, while Veit finished with five strikeouts and one earned, as he scattered eight hits and four walks over his outing. Christian Lent (Miller Place, NY/Miller Place) and Aaron Roman (Pelham, NY/Pelham Memorial) each had three hits, as Lent doubled and drove in a run and Roman doubled twice. Alex Kornblau (Pound Ridge, NY/Fox Lane) picked up two hits and raised his season average to .449, still good for second in the conference.

Plattsburgh was the first to get on the board in the top of the second, as Kaden Kowalowski (Plattsburgh, NY/Beekmantown) drove in a run with an RBI groundout, and Lent drove in a run with a single to center field. New Paltz added a run of their own in the bottom of the frame with an RBI double to make the score 2-1. 

In the fourth, the Cardinals began to pull away from the Hawks, as Kornblau drove Lent in with a single to left after a one-out double from Lent. Gonzalski then stepped to the plate and blasted his third homerun of the series, putting Plattsburgh up 5-1 in the fourth. The Cards tacked on another run in the fifth, as Roman reached on an error allowing Steve Messerschmitt (Fishkill, NY/Carmel), who had just stolen third base, to score on the play. 

Leading with a five-run cushion, Veit was cruising, as the junior arm attacked batters throughout his start. Veit stranded 10 New Paltz batters over his eight innings, eluding the big hit from the Hawks. Plattsburgh would go on to add two big insurance runs in the seventh and eighth as they went into the bottom of the eighth up 8-1. 

New Paltz did not go down easily, as they scored a run in the bottom of the eighth and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth, after a three-run shot put them down just three runs. Sean Malamud (Staten Island, NY/Susan E. Wagner) stranded two runners and forced a game-ending groundout from the potential tying run to end the game and give Plattsburgh the win.

Ryan Mackle was 3-4 for the Hawks while Tyler Kreider was 3-5 with a run scored in the loss. Billy Moeller was tagged with the loss for the Hawks as he fell to 4-4 allowing five earned runs in four innings. 

The Cardinals will return home for a three-game SUNYAC set with Oneonta beginning Friday, April 29 at 3 p.m.