CLERMONT, Fla. – The Plattsburgh State softball team dropped both ends of a split doubleheader on Thursday at THE Spring Games in Clermont, Florida. The team fell in a close game against the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 4-3, and then lost to Ramapo College 11-5 to conclude the day.

Gwen Noll (Massapequa, N.Y./St. Anthony's) continued to be a catalyst at the top of the Cardinal order, scoring four runs on the day, tallying two hits, driving in a run, and stealing a base. Julia Golino (Mount Sinai, N.Y./Mount Sinai) had a two-hit game in the nightcap, while Alyssa Hemingway (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Plattsburgh) had two hits in the game one loss, driving in a run. Morgan Ormerod (Valatie, N.Y./Ichabod Crane) and Golino each took losses on the day in the circle, while Carly Gemmett (Colonie, N.Y./Colonie Central) tossed three scoreless innings out of the bullpen in game one, striking out three.

Plattsburgh State falls to 2-6 on the season and faces a tough test tomorrow morning, March 22, when they take on No. 14 Tufts and then Western New England later in the day to conclude their Spring Games trip. UW-Eau Claire, who also defeated Framingham State earlier in the day, moved to 8-6 on the season and next play Smith College and Buffalo State to conclude their week at THE Spring Games. Ramapo improves to 9-3 after Thursday, after having also beaten No. 14 Tufts earlier in the day. They next take on UW-Whitewater and Kalamazoo to conclude their trip to THE Spring Games.

Game One: UW-Eau Claire 4, Plattsburgh 3

The Cardinals nearly came back to defeat the Blu Golds in game one of the day, stranding the tying run on third in the last inning, falling 4-3 to UW-Eau Claire. Gemmett gave Plattsburgh an excellent chance to win the game with a strong outing out of the pen, as her three scoreless innings gave the Cards the chance to come back.

Hemingway was the lone Cardinal with multiple hits, as she drove in a run, while Megan Pillus (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Spackenkill) and Leila Toomey (Commack, N.Y./Commack) each drove in a run as well. Noll scored twice and was hit by a pitch while Golino reached twice with a hit and a walk. Ormerod took the loss in the circle, going four innings and striking out four while giving up three earned runs.

Plattsburgh State struck first in the low-scoring affair, as Toomey drove in Dimitra Mouhteros (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) with an RBI groundout in the second inning. UW-Eau Claire responded with two runs in the following half-inning to take the lead and then added runs in the fourth and fifth to go up 4-1.

A lead-off walk from Noll in the fifth eventually allowed the Cards to cut into the deficit, as she moved to second an groundout and then to third on a passed ball, allowing Hemingway to single her home.

After a scoreless sixth and the top of the seventh, the Cards entered the final frame trailing by two runs and immediately had the tying run at the plate as Noll was hit by a pitch to start the frame. After a fly out, Golino singled to left, putting the tying run on base with just one out. After a pitching change, the new arm got a huge strikeout, but Pillus singled to right center, easily scoring Noll and sending the game-tying run to third. Just 60 feet away from tying the game, Lauren Trottier got the big strikeout to earn the save and end the game for a 4-3 Blu Golds.

Kira Schubert earned the win for UW-Eau Claire with 4.1 innings of work, striking out six and giving up one earned run, while Lauren Gamme had two hits and scored a run for the Blu Golds.

Game Two: Ramapo 11, Plattsburgh 5

The Cards had another early lead slip away in game two, as the Roadrunners scored nine unanswered runs to pull away and defeat Plattsburgh 11-5. Noll had another strong game as the jump starter of the Cardinal offense, notching two hits, scoring two runs, stealing a base, and driving in a run.

Golino had two hits and drove in a run, as she took the loss in the circle, going four innings and striking out two. Sarah Milyko (Goshen, N.Y./Chester Academy) tossed two innings of relief, giving up one run. Mikayla Manalo (Holtsville, N.Y./Sachem East) and Emma Deo (Averill Park, N.Y./Averill Park) each drove in a run for the Plattsburgh offense.

The Cardinals got on the board early to begin the game, as Noll singled to lead off the game, stole second, and then scored on a two-out single from Golino. The Roadrunners tallied two in the bottom half of the inning on a two-run triple, however, taking a 2-1 lead.

In the following half-inning, Plattsburgh took advantage of two Ramapo errors, to score four runs on four hits. Deo brought in the first run with a single through the left side, and Noll subsequently singled home a run to put Plattsburgh up 3-2. Manalo singled in the next at-bat, bringing home Deo, giving the Cards a 4-2 lead, and then increased that to a 5-2 lead with a run scoring on a dropped fly ball.

From there, however, the Plattsburgh offense went quiet, and the Roadrunner offense awoke, as they retook the lead in the third with a five-run, five-hit inning, capped by a three-run triple from Katie Rygiel. Ramapo added a run in the fourth and then scored three in the fifth to take an 11-5 lead into the sixth inning.

In the final two innings, Plattsburgh managed just one baserunner, as they concluded the day with an 11-5 loss to the Roadrunners.

Kassy Stefanski got the win for Ramapo in relief, tossing a dominant 4.2 innings allowing just one hit and striking out seven batters. Avery Kontura was 4-4 for the Roadrunners with three RBI, while Avery Bartolomeo and Ysabellah Otero had three hits and one RBI each.