A valiant effort by the Oswego State baseball team was not quite enough to avoid a three-game sweep against New Paltz as the Hawks topped the Lakers in doubleheader action from Loren Campbell Field Sunday, 8-7 in game one and 5-2 in game two. The victories propelled New Paltz to 15-12 on the season with a 6-5 SUNYAC record, while the losses dropped Oswego State to 11-14 on the year with a 1-10 SUNYAC mark.

New Paltz pitcher Chris Chismar picked up the win, pitching through five innings recording eight strikeouts. Laker pitcher Dan Erne took the loss, pitching just one inning with two walks. Hawk closer Nick Monaco came on for his second save of the season in the sixth inning of the seven-inning game.

The Hawks jumped out to an early start with a 5-0 lead in the first inning on the strength of a three-run homer by Jake Cameron. An insurance run came in the third inning after a Chris Paulicelli single plated Matt Prescia to extend the New Paltz lead to 6-0.

The Lakers would not be silenced, as they chipped away at the deficit throughout the fifth inning with a single by Dan Maloney that drove in Rafael Cordero and a Tom Curry sacrifice fly that scored Mike Stark. The rally continued in the sixth when a double by Cordero scored pinch hitter Ed Charles and Mike Tarnowski and concluded with a balk that brought in pinch runner Pat Brown.

New Paltz added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to extend the lead to 8-5. The Lakers put two more runs on the board when a walk with the bases loaded pushed Dustin Lefave across home plate and a fielder's choice later brought in Charles. Monaco put a cap on the scoring, however, as a groundout ended the game.

Game two started in much the same way. Jimmy Briggs' solo home run gave New Paltz a 2-0 lead at the end of the fourth inning. A bases-loaded walk in the top of the fifth cut the Laker deficit in half.

The Hawks tacked on a run in the sixth, but Oswego State answered back after Brown scored on a wild pitch. New Paltz added the final blow in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run homer.

New Paltz pitcher Michael Pinnola picked up the win, working seven innings with ten strikeouts and seven walks. Laker pitcher Jon Stevens struck out five in the complete game loss.

Oswego State looks ahead to a doubleheader at Laker Baseball Field versus Cazenovia on Tuesday at 2 p.m.