The SUNY Oneonta baseball team completed its three-game series today against New Paltz with a split of a doubleheader.  Each game went into extra innings, as did the opening game of the series last Wednesday night.  Oneonta (7-19, 4-11 SUNYAC) won the first game, which was scheduled for seven innings, 2-1, in nine innings and fell in the nightcap, 4-2, in 12 innings.
 
The Red Dragons were down to its last out in the bottom of seventh with runners at second and third and freshman Samuel Beaulac at the plate.  Beaulac hit a ball to shortstop that was mishandled, allowing sophomore Sean Mullins (Vestal/Vestal) to score from third.  Mullins had started the two-out rally with a pinch-hit single to left field.  His hit was followed by a double to left field by freshman Dillon Merola (Cornwall/Cornwall), which gave Oneonta its two runners in scoring position for Beaulac.
 
Mullins got things started for the Red Dragons in the ninth inning with a leadoff single, as he greeted reliever Jesse Vahamonde.  He then went to second on a balk and was sacrificed to third by Merola.  With two outs, sophomore Casey Kerdesky (Cornwall/Cornwall) was at the plate and hit a ball just over short that looked like it was going to be caught, but the two outfielders ran into one another as the ball went off the centerfielder's glove.  Mullins came in to score the winning run on the error.
 
Junior Erik Johansen (Rosendale/Rondout) picked up his second win of the season in relief of starter James McCarty (Stony Brook/Chaminade), who threw the first seven innings allowing five hits and one run while recording four strikeouts.  Johansen struck out three and allowed a pair of hits in his two innings.
 
New Paltz's lone run came in the sixth inning with two outs.  Jake Williams made it to first on a hard hit ball that went off McCarty's glove and went to second on a walk to Andrew DiNardo.  Williams came around to score on a single to right field by Anthony Diana.
 
Merola, Mullins and senior Mike Cruz (Levittown/Division Avenue) each collected two hits in the opener.
 
Oneonta struck for a single run in the bottom of the first inning in game two.  With two outs and sophomore Casy Kies (Apalachin/Vestal) at second base, Cruz singled to left field to plate Kies.  Cruz would finish the game 3-for-4 with a double.
 
Oneonta starter, Thomas Bond (Somers/North Salem), cruised through the first three innings allowing only a pair of hits.  In the fourth, he was tagged for a two-run home run by designated hitter Shaun Hansen, which gave the Hawks the lead.  Bond ended up going nine innings and striking out four, but didn't figure in the decision.
 
Oneonta rallied in the eighth, as they loaded the bases with one out.  An error by the shortstop allowed Beaulac to reach to leadoff the inning.  He was moved to second by Kerdesky's sacrifice bunt.  Kies then walked and Cruz was hit by a pitch, which loaded the bases.  Sophomore Billy Riedel (East Northport/John Glenn) then reached on a fielder's choice when New Paltz couldn't turn the double play that would have ended the game.  Beaulac scored on the play to tie the game at 2-2.
 
In the 12^th inning, Mike Sparacino led off with a double down the left field line.  He was then sacrificed to third by Tyler Bell.  Anthony Pantano then hit a bloop single over second base with the infield in to drive in Sparacino.  Pantano stole second base and came in to score the second run of the inning on a two-out single by Taylor Anderson.
 
Johansen took the loss in game two.  He went three innings and allowed four hits and two runs while recorded one strikeout.
 
The Red Dragons will be back in action again tomorrow afternoon when they host Ithaca College beginning at 4pm.