FORT MYERS, FL- The New Paltz softball team split a pair of games today in the Gene Cusic Classic held in Fort Myers, Florida this afternoon.  The Hawks blanked Fitchburg State, 6-0 and fell short to Salem State, 6-4.  With the split, the Hawks upped their record to 2-4 overall and return to action on Wednesday at 9 a.m. against Curry College and 1 p.m. against Hamilton College.

In the 6-0 win against Fitchburg, Jillian Gallagher pitched five innings and only allowed one hit while striking out six.  Alyssa Oliva pitched the final two innings striking out four and walking one and gave up no hits.

The Falcons threatened in the fifth when Gallagher ran into some control problems.  Danielle Cor, who had the lone hit for Fitchburg in the game, lead the inning off with a single.  Lauren Weitz and Steph Keller earned back-to-back walks to load the bases with only one out.  Gallagher buckled down though, after a pass ball Casandra Barcavage quickly tossed to Gallagher for the tag out on Alycia McGra, who was pinch running for Danielle Cor at the plate.  The next batter Gallagher got Leigh Trzcin to ground out to second.

In the first inning, Gallagher continued her early success at the plate with a lead-off single and then stole second, its her seventh stolen base of this early season.  After a Victoria Kyle walk, Rose Dovi had one of her two hits on the day with a two run-single to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead.  It was Dovi's 11th and 12th RBI's of the year. 

In the sixth, the Hawks tacked on one more on a Melissa Liotta RBI single that scored Melyssa Cilmi from third.  The Hawks added three more in the seventh when Gallagher led the inning off with a triple and would later score on a error by the Falcons.  Liotta added her second RBI of the game on a single that scored Kyle.  Elizabeth Tong scored on a pass ball after pinch running for Samantha Barra.