NEW PALTZ – The Oneonta State baseball team completed its SUNYAC three-game series yesterday at New Paltz by splitting its doubleheader with the Hawks. Both games had some heroics as game 1 went 11 innings and game 2 was won with a walk-off grand slam. Oneonta (13-11/6-4 SUNYAC) won the first game, 4-2 while New Paltz (15-10/3-4 SUNYAC) won game 2 11-7.
Earlier in the day, in game one, New Paltz starting pitcher Chris Chismar made his first start since Mar. 23 and hurled nine innings of four-hit ball, striking out 14 Red Dragons while only walking one. The Hawks spotted Chismar a 1-0 lead in the second inning with a solo-home run by Matt Prescia. That lead stretched to 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning. In the frame, junior right fielder Thomas Pinnola reached base after being hit by a pitch, advanced to second base on a failed pickoff attempt, then came around to score on a ground-rule double by Paul Merola.
Oneonta battled back in the top of the seven inning and tied the game on a
Kevin Knack (Ghent/Ichabod Crane) two-run home run that scored both himself and
Ivan Plata (Guilderland/Guilderland), who singled to start the inning. After multiple scoreless innings and a Hawk pitching change to senior reliever Nick Monaco, Oneonta was able to plate two runs in the top of the 11th inning off a balk and a wild pitch to go up by the eventual final score of 4-2.
Monaco was charged with the loss in two innings of relief, although the senior did strike out four of the ten batters he faced.
Jim Hegmann (Middletown/Pine Bush) won game one for Oneonta with six innings of relief after spelling Oneonta starter
Steve Ascher (Cutchogue/Mattituck). Hegmann allowed only one unearned run in his stint while striking out three hitters.
Ascher allowed five hits and one run while striking out six batters in another solid outing for the freshman left-handed hurler.
Oneonta had only four hits in game 1 and Knack's RBI's were the only ones recorded in the opener.
In game 2 today, Oneonta held a 7-2 entering the bottom of the sixth inning before the Hawks countered with nine runs over the final two innings including the grand slam in the seventh that capped a five-run inning. Sophomore catcher/designated hitter David Lostaglio was the hero for the Hawks in the second game.
The Red Dragons exploded for five runs in the fourth inning to take a 6-1 lead. The big blows in the inning were a two-run home run by senior
Cody Hitt (Boonville/Adirondack) and a two-run double off the bat of junior
Chris Massaroni (Voorheesville/Voorheesville). Plata also added an RBI single to account for the fifth run.
New Paltz's seventh inning rally came off Oneonta relief pitcher, Jared Bronley, who entered the game for starter,
Alex Mastrianni (Valatie/Ichabod Crane), who threw six innings allowing 12 hits and six earned runs. Bronley was only able to record two outs in the seventh, but loaded the bases with three walks before an RBI single and the walk off ended the game.
Massaroni finished game 2 with three hits and three runs batted in to lead the offense overall. Plata had a pair of hits, scored two runs and drove in a pair for Oneonta.
The Red Dragons are at St. John Fisher this Tuesday for a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 1pm.
