Hawks fall to cross town rival Vassar

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY- The SUNY New Paltz baseball team visited cross town rival Vassar College Monday evening at Prentiss Field and fell 7-3 to the Brewers. 

Scott Allen pitched a complete game for the win on the mound, allowing three runs, no earned, on six hits, walking five and striking out four.  Vassar improves to 5-15 overall on the season.

Freshman Timmy Chelius (Rockville Centre, NY/South Side) recorded the loss on the mound allowing five runs (5 ER) on six hits, walking one and striking out one.  New Paltz falls to 7-18 overall.

Adam Murphy led the Brewers from the plate going 3-for-4 with one run and two RBI’s and Liam Lee was 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.  Joe Castilla added a two-run single to help the Brewers to the victory.

The six hits allowed by Allen were by six different players.  Freshman Paul Merola (Cornwall on-Hudson, NY/Cornwall) started it off in the first inning with a two out double, but was left stranded.

The Hawks threatened in the top of the second when freshman Matt O’Neill (West Chester, PA/Henderson High) led the inning off with a walk followed by a single by senior Devin Scalabrini (Peekskill, NY/Mahopac).  A double-play quickly ended the threat, but the Hawks were still able to get a run across the plate after a walk by sophomore Michael Marash (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Hendrick Hudson) and drew a throw from the catcher trying to steal second that allowed O’Neill to score.

The Brewers would take the lead in the bottom of the second inning with a RBI single by Liam Lee and a two-run single by Adam Murphy.

The Hawks would cut into the lead with one run in the top of the fourth inning.  The run scored with the bases loaded with no outs on a double-play groundout.  The Brewers would avoid another big inning by the Hawks with a double-play.

Vassar would regain the lead in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI single by Zack Miller and an RBI groundout by Joe Bubar to take a 5-2 advantage.  The Brewers would add two runs in the bottom of the seventh with a two-run single by Joe Castilla.

The Hawks would score one in the top of the ninth after freshman Zach Homerda (Elmira, NY/Elmira Notre Dame) reached on a throwing error on Sal Costanzo and was able to advance to second on the play.  Marash singled to move Homerda to third on the play.  Freshman Philip Parker (Brooklyn, NY/Xaverian) had an RBI single with a high-chopper to the second baseman that scored Homerda.

The Hawks return home Wednesday against Vassar College at 4 p.m. at Loren Campbell Field on the campus of SUNY New Paltz.