Through a steady, drenching rain, the SUNY Oneonta baseball team pulled out a 1-0 win against visiting SUNY New Paltz today in SUNYAC action.  Freshman Benji Parkes (Lansing/Lansing) went the distance to record his first collegiate shutout while evening his record at 2-2.  Parkes scattered four hits and registered four strikeouts, as the Red Dragons picked up a key conference win, as they make a push to qualify for the SUNYAC tournament with seven games remaining in its conference schedule.

Both Parkes and Andrew Grann cruised through the first four innings with neither team threatening.  Grann took the tough loss, as he allowed only four hits while recording six punchouts in his six innings of work.

The lone run of the contest came in the bottom of the fifth inning with one out.  Senior Matt Salvatore (Staten Island/Staten Island) singled to leadoff the inning and moved to second base on a ground out by classmate Nate Jones (Apalachin/Seton Catholic) to the second baseman.  The next batter was senior Thomas Hand (Wallkill/Valley Central), who drilled a single to center field, which scored Salvatore from second.

Senior Thomas Pinnola had three of the four hits for New Paltz in the game to lead all hitters.

Oneonta is scheduled to play this Friday and Saturday at SUNY Cortland.  Friday, the two teams will play a single nine inning game beginning at 3pm while Saturday the two squads will play a doubleheader beginning at noon.