PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State softball team put together two strong games against a talented Buffalo State squad but fell 4-1 and 4-3 in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) doubleheader action. Both Carly Gemmett (Colonie, N.Y./Colonie Central) and Morgan Ormerod (Valatie, N.Y./Ichabod Crane) had strong outings in the circle for the Cardinals, holding Buffalo State to four runs in each game.

Bella Toleman (Stillwater, N.Y./Stillwater) and Mikayla Manalo (Holtsville, N.Y./Sachem East) had three hits on the day, with Toleman driving in a run and scoring a run and Manalo scoring two runs and adding a double.

The Cardinals fall to 5-12 (2-4 SUNYAC) and next take on Clarkson in road, non-conference action on Tuesday, April 15. Buffalo State improves to 12-10 (6-0 SUNYAC) and has an important matchup with Cortland on Tuesday, April 15 in SUNYAC action.

Game One: Buffalo State 4, Plattsburgh 1

Three runs in the fourth were all the Bengals needed in game one, as Izzy Pezdek did it all herself on Saturday, driving in three runs and tossing four scoreless innings in the circle for the win.

For the Cardinals, the team had just three hits, which all came in the third inning, as Toleman had the RBI single, and Manalo had a single and scored a run. Sara Isaacs (Malta, N.Y./Shenendehowa) also had a single for the Cards. Gemmett was strong for Plattsburgh in the circle, striking out nine over seven innings of work, allowing four runs and seven hits while walking two.

Pezdek was 2-2 with a double, a two-run homer, and a sacrifice fly for a three RBI day for the sophomore. She also tossed four scoreless innings, striking out four and allowing no hits. Mya Hurley was 2-3 in game one with two doubles and an RBI, while Ella Stewart was also 2-3 with a double, walking once. Madison Lucas started the game for the Bengals and allowed just one run over three innings of work.

Both pitchers were firing on all cylinders until the fourth inning, was two doubles plated a run in the top half for Buffalo State to break the scoreless tie, and Pezdek connected on a two-run homer to left to give her team the 3-0 lead.

The Cards had an immediate response as Manalo and Isaacs singled to begin the bottom half of the inning, and Megan Pillus (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Spackenkill) walked to load the bases with no outs. Toleman ripped a pitch in the next at-bat that the shortstop nearly snagged out of the air, which made the runners freeze and only advance one base as the ball went into centerfield for an RBI single. Pezdek then came on for the Bengals to pitch and induced a pop out and struck out the next two batters to end the Cardinal threat and keep Buffalo State ahead 3-1.

After a scoreless fifth on both sides, the Bengals picked up an insurance run as Hurley led the inning off with a double, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, and then scored on the Pezdek sacrifice fly.

The bottom of the sixth saw an error and walk allow two Cardinals to reach with two outs, but Pezdek escaped trouble as Michell DeFina (Commack, N.Y./Commack) hit a lined shot that may have scored two runs had the third baseman not snagged it out of the air to end the inning.

In the seventh, Gemmett worked around two two-out runners to keep the deficit at three, but Pezdek sat down the Cardinals in order in the home half of the inning to give the Bengals the 4-1 win.

Game Two: Buffalo State 4, Plattsburgh 3

In game two, Pezdek once again stymied the Cardinal offense, and a four-run first was all she needed to get her team the win. She tossed 6.1 scoreless innings and struck out five while scattering three hits and three walks.

Ormerod gave up four runs in the first inning but retired 18 of the next 19 batters she faced, with the only runner reaching after that being on an error. She finished with seven innings pitched, allowing five hits and four runs while striking out two and walking none. Toleman was 2-4 with a run scored in game two, and Manalo was also 2-4 with a run scored, but also doubled. Pillus had an RBI double, and a run scored, and Gwen Noll (Massapequa, N.Y./St. Anthony's) reached base twice on a single and walk.

Cam O'Hara's three-run double in the first was the difference, as Hurley had an RBI single for the Bengals.

A leadoff single followed by back-to-back one-out singles from Lucas and Hurley plated the first Bengal run, and after a two-out single, O'Hara doubled to right-center to score all three baserunners and give her team a 4-0 lead.

Plattsburgh State immediately responded, all with two outs, as Manalo doubled with one-out and Pillus doubled her home with two outs. Toleman followed with a hard hit single that could not score Pillus, but an error by the leftfielder allowed her to score as the ball trickled past her all the way to the wall. Toleman made her way to third, and Meghan Stork (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) singled her home to put the Cards down 4-3. Pezedek then entered for the Bengals and retired the final batter of the inning to escape the jam.

From there, each pitcher cruised along, with Ormerod not allowing another base-runner until an error in the fifth inning. The Cardinals were able to generate some traffic but could not find the big hi,t with Pezdek making pitch after pitch in important spots.

In the seventh, Manalo singled up the middle and moved over to second after a ground out to make the second out. With the tying run in scoring position, the Cards grounded out to short to end the game, as Pezdek earned her second win of the day in relief.