New Paltz, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Softball team dropped a non-conference road set at New Paltz on Tuesday, falling to the host Hawks by scores of 5-3 and 1-0. Junior Cindy Connoly (Walden, N.Y.) broke the program's career strikeout record with her second strikeout of the day in game one.  
 
Game 1: New Paltz 5 – Mount Saint Mary 3
The Knights held leads of 1-0 and 3-1 in Tuesday's opener, before New Paltz erupted for four runs in the home half of the sixth to move in front for the first time in the game. The Hawks strung together five hits in the frame, including a two-run double from Julia Perhacs that moved the Hawks in front for good in the game. Shannon Fee and Megan Carbia added run scoring hits for New Paltz in the inning.
 
Mount Saint Mary jumped in front in the third inning after Sommer led off the frame with a single through the middle. Following a miscue and a walk to Michelle Surdan (Acton, Mass.) loaded the bases with no one out, Connoly delivered Sommer with a sacrifice fly for the game's first run.
 
New Paltz answered with a run in the home half of the fourth to even the score, before the Knights plated a pair of runs in the top of the fifth to move in front 3-1. Sommer and Surdan singled around a sacrifice bunt from Amanda Almodovar (Goshen, N.Y.), before Connoly and Kathryn Eiler (Merrick, N.Y.) recording run scoring singles with one out in the inning.
 
The Knights went in order in the top of the sixth before the Hawks scored four times and put two runners on in the top of the seventh with two outs, but could not get back on the board.
 
Sommer finished game one 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored, with Connoly going 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI. Eiler rounded out the opener 2-for-4 with a run batted in, with Surdan producing a hit, walk and run scored.
 
Connoly suffered the loss in the circle and fell to 7-5 in her 13^th complete game of the season. She allowed five runs on nine hits and struck out seven. She entered the game two strikeouts shy of the record and fanned the side in the first. She holds the career mark with 359 punch outs, passing Caitlin Maynes' previous mark of 353.
 
Game 2: New Paltz 1 – Mount Saint Mary 0
The Knights were blanked in game two for the third time this season and the second time in the last four contests. The only run of the game came in the bottom of the seventh with two outs when Julia Dispigna drove home Perhacs with the game winning run. With two outs and no one on the in the frame Nicole DeCosta doubled with Perhacs pinch running and scoring on Dispigna's base hit.
 
Mount Saint Mary was held to only two hits in the game, with Connoly and Emily Lang (Westtown, N.Y.) each singling. Connoly drew a walk in the game, but the Knights did not move a runner into scoring position in the tilt.
 
Bridget Bennett (Gardiner, N.Y.) suffered the tough luck loss for the Knights with 6.2 solid innings in the circle. She fell to 8-4 on the year after allowing a single run on four hits. She struck out five and walked two.
 
Lauren Cappello earned the win and moved to 11-8 on the season. She surrendered just two hits and a walk and struck out three.
 
Tuesday's sweep drops Mount Saint Mary to 17-11 overall on the season. Next up for the Knights is a trip to RPI on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.