POTSDAM, N.Y. - The Plattsburgh State softball team split a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) doubleheader on Saturday afternoon on the road, falling in game one against the Bears before bouncing back for a game two comeback win. The team lost in a close game 4-3, before winning behind a five-run top of the seventh in game two to split the day's games.

Julia Golino (Mount Sinai, N.Y./Mount Sinai) and Claire Palmer (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) each finished with three hits on the day, as Golino scored three times and Palmer drove in a run and scored once. Morgan Ormerod (Valatie, N.Y./Ichabod Crane) pitched both games in relief, tallying 2.1 innings of scoreless ball and earning the win in game two for Plattsburgh. 

The Cards move to 14-4 (5-1 SUNYAC) on the year and will next head to SUNY Canton on Wednesday, April 19 for a non-conference doubleheader at 3 p.m. SUNY Potsdam now stands at 5-17 (2-4 SUNYAC) and will play St. Lawrence at home on April 19 for non-conference action. 

Game One: Potsdam 4, Plattsburgh 3

The Cards took their first SUNYAC loss of the 2023 season and snapped a seven-game winning streak in game one, falling in a close affair with the Bears 4-3. Palmer was 2-4 and Golino turned in a 2-3 effort, scoring a run. Rebecca Diller (Halfmoon, N.Y./Shenendehowa) had an RBI double in the loss, while Kristina Maggiacomo (South Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) took the loss despite 5.2 innings of just three earned runs and six strikeouts.

The Bears struck early in the conference doubleheader, plating two in the first inning on a two-run double, as Plattsburgh failed to score over their first three innings. In the fourth, the team finally scored, as Diller doubled home Golino and came around to score on an error later in the frame, tying the game at two runs apiece. The score remained until the bottom of the sixth when Potsdam scratched two runs across to take a 4-2 lead. Plattsburgh threatened in the seventh as they put two runners on with two outs. Gwen Noll (Massapequa, N.Y./St. Anthony's) followed with a single to center, plating a run, but a Cardinal runner was thrown out trying to advance to third base, ending the game and giving Potsdam the win. 

Lexie Cottrill earned her first win of the year in the circle for Potsdam, scattering seven hits over seven innings, giving up just two earned runs. Kaylee Dobransky was 2-3 with two runs scored and Rebecca Holmes was 1-2 with three RBI and a double.

Game Two: Plattsburgh 9, Potsdam 5

In game two, it was a late rally that led Plattsburgh to the win, as the Cards scored five runs in the top of the seventh to steal a series sweep out of the hands of the Bears. The big inning was led by Michelle Gonzales (Grass Valley, Calif./Nevada Union) whose inside-the-park grand slam gave the Cards the lead for good. 

Kaitlin Smith (New Windsor, N.Y./Washingtonville) finished the day 3-3 at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base, as Danielle Torres (Albany, N.Y./Colonie Central) was 2-3 with a run scored and a double. Golino had a double and two runs scored and turned in a solid start in the circle, going five innings and giving up just two earned runs while walking none. Ormerod earned her third win of the year in relief giving up just two hits while striking out one. 

Plattsburgh was able to get on the board first with a three-run first-inning, as Maggiacomo drove in a run with a sac fly and another run came around to score on an error on the same play to start the Cardinal scoring. In the next at-bat, a ground out scored Golino to put Plattsburgh up 3-0. 

After a Potsdam run in the third, Palmer drove in a run with an RBI groundout to put the Cardinals back up three runs. The lead held heading into the sixth inning, when the Bears put together a four-run sixth, with three runs being unearned, to give them a 5-4 lead.  

The Cardinals opened up the seventh with a leadoff double by Golino, eventually loading the bases for Gonzales. Gonzales lined a shot to center field, just out of the reach of the Potsdam outfielder, allowing the ball to roll to the roll, as a long relay was then too slow to catch Gonzales racing to home for the grand slam. The Cards added another run in the inning after an error, putting the team up 9-5 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Ormerod quickly retired the first two batters, but back-to-back hits put the tying run in the on-deck circle, when Ormerod picked up the final out of the game with a strikeout, completing the comeback win for the Cards. 

Anna Brown took the loss for Potsdam with 6.1 innings of work, giving up nine runs, with only four being earned runs. Dobranksy and Anna Grottola each had two hits and an RBI for Potsdam in the loss.