LITTLE RIVER, S.C. – The Plattsburgh State softball team split their games on their opening day of the 2023 season, losing in game one to the Mississippi University of Women, and then defeating Keystone in the nightcap.
 
The Cards totaled 25 hits on the day, with Claire Palmer (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) going 5-8 with two runs scored and two stolen bases and Kristen Langdon (Burnt Hills, N.Y./Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) going 4-8 with four runs scored and two stolen bases as well in the team's two games of play. 
 
Game One: Mississippi University for Women 4, Plattsburgh State 2
 
The Cardinals played a close game in their season opener, falling to the Owls 4-2 in a closely contested game. Despite outhitting the Owls 11-2, the Cards could only manage two runs in the loss. 
 
Senior Julia Golino (Mount Sinai, N.Y./Mount Sinai) was 3-3 on the afternoon, driving in a run and adding her first double of the season, while senior Rebecca Diller (Halfmoon, N.Y./Shenendehowa) added two hits in three at-bats. Kristina Maggiacomo (South Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) was tagged with a loss, despite a strong effort on the mound as she struck out seven batters and gave up four runs in 6.2 innings of work. 
 
The Cards moved to 0-1 after the completion of this game while the Owls improved to 8-3 on the season and eventually moved to 9-3 after defeating Wilson in their second game of the day. They take on McDaniel on March 14 at 3 p.m. for their next game. 
 
The Owls struck first in this one, as a triple and RBI double brought home the first run of the afternoon. Despite Plattsburgh threatening in the top of the first, the game remained 1-0 in favor of Mississippi University of Women until the bottom of the third inning when the Cards finally knotted the game up at one run apiece. After two outs to begin the inning, back-to-back singles from Langdon and Golino put the tying run on second base. Senior infielder Kelsy Waite (Winthrop, N.Y./St. Lawrence Central) then followed with the team's third straight single to score Langdon and tie the game. A single after Waite's basehit loaded the bases, but the Owls escaped by inducing an inning-ending popout.
 
The game remained tied at one run apiece into the seventh inning as both pitchers cruised through the middle innings of the game. In the seventh, the Owls finally struck, taking advantage of a couple of walks to put themselves ahead 4-1. In the bottom of the inning, Mikayla Manalo (Holtsville, N.Y./Sachem East) led off the inning with a single and eventually ended up at third after back-to-back groundouts. Golino then smoked a double to right-centerfield to bring home a run and put the tying run at the plate, but the Owl starter Rylie Grisham induced a game-ending groundout to pick up the complete game victory on the mound. 
 
First-year pitcher Morgan Ormerod (Valatie, N.Y./Ichabod Crane) made her collegiate debut in the circle and recorded one out, registering her first career strikeout. Transfer-junior Michelle Gonzales (Grass Valley, Calif/Nevada Union) made her Plattsburgh debut in the loss and recorded her first career hit as a Cardinal.
 
Game Two: Plattsburgh State 9, Keystone 3
 
A strong offensive effort in the team's final two at-bats propelled Plattsburgh State to a 9-3 win over the Keystone Giants late on Monday night. Four Cardinals produced multi-hit efforts, as a four-run fifth gave the team the lead for good, and a two-run sixth put the game out of reach for the Giants.
 
The sophomore infielder Palmer was excellent in game two, as she recorded the first four-hit effort of her collegiate career, going 4-4 with two runs scored, two stolen bases, and an RBI. Langdon was also very effective in setting the table with Palmer at the top of the order as she had three hits, three runs scored and swiped two bags. Starting in left field in game two, Maggiacomo was a perfect 2-2 at the dish with a triple, two runs scored, two walks, and two RBI and Waite was 2-3 with three runs driven in and a double. 
 
Plattsburgh earned their first win of the year to move to 1-1 on the season and will next matchup with McDaniel at 11 a.m. on March 15. Keystone falls to 1-2 on the season with the loss and will take on UMass Boston on Wednesday, March 15 at 1 p.m. in their next contest. 
 
The Giants were the first team to get on the board, as a bloop single to shallow left field with the bases loaded plated two runs for Keystone off of the starter Golino. The Giants loaded the bases later after a walk to the next batter, but Golino was able to escape the jam and prevent any more damage. 
 
Plattsburgh immediately responded in the bottom half of the first as Maggiacomo tripled in her first at-bat of the year to bring in a run, and Waite followed with a double to tie the game. The score would hold until the third inning when each team scored a run, with Keystone doubling in a Giant baserunner and Maggiacomo plating another Cardinal with an RBI single.
 
With the score tied at three runs apiece heading into the fifth, Ormerod was called upon to enter the game after Golino, who finished with four innings of work, three earned runs, and six strikeouts. Ormerod was more than up to the task, as she was excellent in relief, starting her first inning of work by striking out three and working around a two-out double. 
 
In the bottom half of the fifth, the Plattsburgh offense came through with the big inning they were looking for as Palmer and Langdon began the frame with singles and then a double steal to put them both in scoring position. Golino grounded out to bring in the go-ahead run and after Maggiacomo walked and stole second, Waite added some much-needed insurance with a two-run single. After another base hit, Danielle Torres (Albany, N.Y./Colonie Central) then singled in the final run of the inning to put the Cardinals up 7-3. Two more runs would come home in the bottom of the sixth for the Cards, as Palmer singled home a run and Golino brought her home with an RBI groundout. 
 
Ormerod continued to mow down Giant batters in the sixth and seventh, not allowing a hit in her final two innings of work, as she finished the night with eight strikeouts in three innings in the circle, comfortably settling in as the Cards built the lead and helped give Ormerod her first collegiate win. 
 
First-year Mackenzie White (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) singled in her first collegiate at bat to record her first hit at the college level for the Cards.