OSWEGO, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State softball team split with Oswego State in a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) doubleheader Monday afternoon at Laker Softball Field, winning, 4-2, in game one before dropping a 7-4 decision in game two.
 
Plattsburgh State moves to 10-11 overall (4-2 SUNYAC) with the results and next hosts St. Lawrence University in a non-conference twinbill on Wednesday, April 11, at 3 p.m. Oswego moves to 9-7 overall (2-2 SUNYAC) with the results and next hosts SUNY Potsdam in a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Wednesday, April 11, at 3 p.m.
 
Game 1: Plattsburgh State 4, Oswego 2
 
A four-run sixth helped the Cardinals take a 4-1 lead, and senior pitcher Taylor Smith (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) shut the door in the bottom of the seventh to seal the 4-2 victory for Plattsburgh State.
 
Freshman second baseman Taylor DuBois gave the Lakers a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the second, driving in senior first baseman Gabriella Vertuccio with a single down the left-field line.
 
The Cardinals' sixth-inning rally began with a single by junior first baseman Jennifer Groat (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) to lead off the inning, while senior third baseman Jackie Decker (Adams, N.Y./South Jefferson) notched a base hit during the ensuing at-bat. With junior Amy Glashoff (Montrose, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) brought in to pinch run, Groat and Glashoff executed a double steal before Smith singled to third to load the bases. Senior right fielder Amanda Tantillo (Florida, N.Y./S.S. Seward) then drove in Glashoff and Groat with a single to left center to hand the Cardinals a 2-1 advantage. Following a fly out, junior catcher Anna Fisher (Brockport, N.Y./Brockport) hit an infield single to load the bases once again. After a fielder's choice put the second out on the board, junior shortstop Kaitlyn Preiss (Cornwall, N.Y./Cornwall) scored Fisher and Tantillo with a single to left center to stretch the Plattsburgh State edge to 4-1.
 
After both sides went down in order in the bottom of the sixth and the top of the seventh, the Lakers attempted a rally in the bottom of the seventh. Oswego had runners on first and third with one out before Smith was called in to finish out the game in the circle for the Cardinals. A groundout to third advanced the runner on first to second, putting both runners in scoring position with two outs, and a passed ball allowed freshman left fielder Jessica McCarthy to score. Smith then rung up her opposite number, sophomore pitcher Rebecca Vilchez, with a strikeout looking to cement the victory for the Cardinals.
 
Senior left fielder Dominique Zummo (Commack, N.Y./St. Anthony's) and senior center fielder Felicia Torres (Middletown, N.Y./Pine Bush) each had multiple hits for Plattsburgh State, with Zummo going 2-for-4 and Torres batting 2-for-3 with a double and a stolen base. For Oswego, junior shortstop Erin Sweeney led the way with a 2-for-4 outing at the plate.
 
Senior pitcher Katie Pitkin (Dexter, N.Y./General Brown), fresh off a SUNYAC Pitcher of the Week nod, allowed just two unearned runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out four in 6 1/3 innings of work. Smith held the Lakers hitless and struck out one in the final two-thirds of an inning to earn the save. Vilchez shouldered the loss for Oswego, giving up four runs on 10 hits while striking out three.
 
Game 2: Oswego 7, Plattsburgh State 4
 
Oswego took a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first and never trailed in a 7-4 victory in the nightcap.
 
The Laker bats came alive in the first, as Vilchez, junior designated player/left fielder/pitcher Angela Frampton, sophomore right fielder Jessica Roe and Vertuccio all had RBI base knocks to stake Oswego to a 4-0 advantage.
 
Groat extended her hitting streak to 21 games with an RBI single to left center in the fourth to put the Cardinals on the board, while junior center fielder Sarah McCullough scored on an error and Roe hit an RBI single in the fifth to put the Lakers out in front, 6-1.
 
Plattsburgh State made it a 6-4 game in the sixth, as Fisher drove in a run with a single to left center before two additional runners crossed due to an error. Oswego added insurance in the home half of the sixth, however, as freshman second baseman Madelana Wrubel scored on a double steal.
 
Decker and Fisher each keyed the Cardinal attack by going 2-for-3, while Roe batted 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run scored for the Lakers.
 
Sophomore pitcher Rhea Pitkin (Dexter, N.Y./General Brown) took the loss before handing the reins off to Smith, who gave up three unearned runs on two hits and one walk while striking out four in 5 2/3 innings of relief. Vilchez earned the win for Oswego, scattering six hits and allowing one run in five innings of duty, while Frampton picked up the save.