FISHKILL, N.Y. – With the game tied at two, Mount Saint Mary College scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and would eventually go on to defeat SUNY New Paltz, 7-2, in non-conference action on Thursday evening. The Knights improved to 9-11 overall, while the Hawks dropped back to .500 at 10-10.

In the seventh, freshman Vinnie Carminati (Huntington, N.Y.) singled to load the bases after a pair of walks to the bottom third of the Knights order. Junior Josh Depew (Montgomery, N.Y.) lifted a sac fly to right, plating the first run of the inning to make it 3-2. Sophomore Michael Morelli (Washingtonville, N.Y.) drew a walk to load the bases once again, turning it over to junior John Conroy (Middletown, N.Y.). His line drive was misplayed by the left-fielder, allowing all three runners to score. Conroy, who wound up on second, later scored on a hard-hit ball from junior Max Tecce (Glen Cove, N.Y.).

Junior pitcher Brady Purcell (Montgomery, N.Y.) came on to start the eighth inning for the Knights and was lights out. He retired the side in order in the eighth and struck out the first two batters of the ninth before allowing his first base runner with a walk. A ground ball to shortstop was swallowed up by Tecce, who stepped on second to end the game.

The Knights jumped out to an early two-run advantage when Morelli homered in the first inning. Depew, who had doubled in the at-bat prior, scored on the play.

New Paltz constructed a two-out rally in the fourth inning, putting together four hits for two runs. Sophomore Matt Kaldon (Montgomery, N.Y.) singled, as did freshman Jimmy Briggs (Lindenhurst, N.Y.), and then junior Chris Paulicelli (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) walked to load the bases. Sophomores Steve Pinckney (Montgomery, N.Y.) and Matt Prescia (Oakdale, N.Y.) each followed with run-scoring singles to tie the game at 2-2.

For the Knights, Carminati finished 2-for-5 with a run scored, while Morelli was 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a pair of RBIs. Depew's line was 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Freshman Christopher O'Connor (Campbell Hall, N.Y.), who pitched a perfect seventh inning, claimed the victory for the Mount.

On the New Paltz side, Kaldon and Presica each had a pair of hits in four at-bats. Kadlon scored a run and Presica had an RBI. Freshman Mike Pastorino (Stormville, N.Y.) took the loss for the Hawks.

Mount Saint Mary faces a big weekend of Skyline Conference action, as they'll travel to Maritime on Saturday before hosting Purchase on Sunday. Saturday's double-header is scheduled for 11:00 a.m., while Sunday's is set for noon.