NEW PALTZ, N.Y. -- Fredonia dropped a pair of SUNYAC softball games Friday, the first day of the league season, 6-1 and 9-5 to the New Paltz Hawks despite holding leads in both games.

The Blue Devils (6-11-1 overall, 0-2 SUNYAC) led 1-0 in the opener. The run came in the top of the second on a single by Eva FitzSimmons (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport), a sacrifice bunt by Lauren Pixley (Hamburg, N.Y./Frontier), and an RBI single by Alyssa Piniewski (West Seneca, N.Y./Orchard Park). FitzSimmons added two more hits in the opener, including a two-out double in the sixth ahead of the Blue Devils stranding runners on second and third. Katie Yudin (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool) was tagged with the loss. 

The second game saw New Paltz erase a 4-2 lead with five runs in the last of the fifth. Fredonia had the makings of a comeback before Lauren Cappello, the Game 1 winner, came in with two runners on and no outs in the sixth to put out the fire and earn a two-inning save. Sam Seegar (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Starpoint) was the losing pitcher.

Fredonia held leads of 1-0, 3-2, and 4-2 -- the latter on an RBI double by Katelyn Dennis (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroder). Dennis also had an RBI single earlier in the game while Yudin had an RBI single while the Blue Devils were building their lead. The fifth run came in the form of singles by Pixley and Megan Maull (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) and an infield groundout by Rhianna Paoletti (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore). Paoletti and Sydney Merkley (Auburn, N.Y./Auburn) had two hits each.

Seegar pitched out of a huge jam in the third inning. A lead-off triple by the Hawks was erased on a groundout to third baseman Cassie Herman (Maybrook, N.Y./Valley Central). The play was magnified when the next batter doubled, putting runners on second and third. A walk loaded the bases with one out. Seegar induced two groundouts to end the threat.

The Blue Devils are back in action Saturday at 1 p.m. when they take on SUNY Oneonta at the SUNY Cortland diamond.