HIGHLAND, NY — The Red Hawks of RPI swept the SUNY New Paltz softball team 15-1 and 6-2 Thursday at Tony Williams Park in Highland, NY.
The loss sinks the Hawks record to 0-18 on the season. The Red Hawks improve to 8-13.
In game one, The Red Hawks scored 10 runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by Stephanie Vanek’s (Smithtown, NY) three-run homerun. Six RPI players had two hits in the game. Pitcher Amy Huling (Vienna, VA) picked up the win going four innings giving up one run on three hits.
Game two saw solid pitching from RPI’s Shannon Smith (Horseheads, NY) and the Hawks’ Kristin Ackermann (Middletown, NY). The game was tied at one through four innings before RPI plated one in the fifth and got some breathing room in the sixth with a two-out, three-run error by the Hawks. New Paltz managed one more run in the sixth but Smith shut down the Hawk bats in the final inning by not allowing a ball out of the infield. Smith finished with a complete-game five hitter and Ackermann surrendered six runs on eight hits.
Katie Monahan (Port Jefferson Station, NY) had two hits including a triple to lead New Paltz in the second game.
Smith helped her cause by going 3-for-4 with a triple and first baseman Megan Porter (Margaretville, NY) contributed two hits for the Red Hawks.
