NEWBURGH, N.Y. - New Paltz rallied for five runs in the top of the seventh inning to sneak past Mount Saint Mary College, 7-6, in a non-conference game on Tuesday night at Dutchess Stadium.  The Knights slid to 9-18 overall, while the Hawks bumped up to 17-12.

Trailing 6-2 into the seventh, New Paltz loaded the bases with a walk, a single, and an error.  Senior Clinton Boettcher (Hyde Park, N.Y.) drew a walk to force home the first run of the inning and then freshman Steve Pinckney (Montgomery, N.Y.) singled to bring the Hawks within two.  The next batter, freshman Michael Pinnola (North Babylon, N.Y.), smoked a bases-clearing triple to left-center to give New Paltz a 7-6 advantage.

Freshman Thomas Pinnola (North Babylon, N.Y.), who came on in relief in the third inning, blanked the Knights over the final three innings to preserve the victory for New Paltz.  Mount freshman Matt Prescia (Oakdale, N.Y.) recorded the only hit of the final three frames for the Knights.

Mount Saint Mary led 2-0 after a run-scoring single by senior Rich DeRosa (Valley Stream, N.Y.) in the second inning.  When freshman Michael Matuk (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) was hit with the bases loaded, the Knights took a 3-0 lead.  The Mount took advantage of two New Paltz errors in the fifth inning to scratch out two more runs and an RBI-single by senior Mike Umphlett (North Stonington, Conn.) in the sixth inning staked the home team to a 6-2 edge.

Umphlett finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a run batted in.  DeRosa also recorded a pair of hits (2-for-4) and an RBI.  Freshman Marc Soevyn (Elmont, N.Y.) was tagged with the loss, but all six of the runs allowed by Soevyn were unearned.

For New Paltz, Thomas Pinnola pitched the final seven innings to claim the victory.  He allowed just four hits and one earned run while striking out four.  His twin brother, Michael Pinnola, did most of the damage offensively with a 2-for-4 night.  In addition to the three-run triple in the seventh, Michael Pinnola also ripped a run-scoring triple in the sixth inning.  Pinckney finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored an a run batted in.

Mount Saint Mary will head to the College of Staten Island for their next scheduled contest.  The game is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. start.