CORTLAND, N.Y. – Senior Travis Ratliff (Levittown/Division Avenue) tossed a complete-game three-hitter over seven innings as nationally 12th-ranked Cortland defeated Oneonta, 3-1, to finish a doubleheader sweep. Cortland won the opening nine-inning game, 6-4, and is 25-6 overall and 13-1 in the SUNYAC.
Oneonta, which entered the day tied with Cortland in the league standings, is now 11-3 in the conference and 20-10 overall. The teams will play a single game Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Cortland (time changed from noon to 1:30 p.m.)
GAME 1: Cortland 6, Oneonta 4
Cortland took a 5-0 lead after two innings, but Oneonta rallied with three runs in the sixth and one in the seventh to close to within 5-4. The host Red Dragons added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh to conclude the scoring.
Junior Aaron Schuldt (Liverpool) started for Cortland and earned the win despite allowing nine hits, two walks and four runs in six innings. He struck out seven and is 5-1 this spring. Sophomore John Molloy (Franklin Sqaure/Carey) allowed one hit in a scoreless seventh and junior Brendan Hourihan (Yorktown Heights/Lakeland) retired two batters and walked one in the eighth.
Junior Peter Lompado (Staten Island/Shattuck-St. Mary's) entered in the eighth and got a batter to line out with a runner on first to end the inning. Oneonta had two runners reach in the ninth on a one-out error and a two-out Michael DeCarr (Syracuse/Westhill) single, but the next batter grounded out to first, with Lompado covering, to end the game and give Lompado his first save.
The teams combined for 25 hits – 14 for Cortland and 11 for Oneonta – and nine walks, but Cortland left 15 runners on base and Oneonta stranded nine runners. Cortland also turned three double plays to escape potential jams.
Junior Joshua Herzenberg (White Plains) started for Oneonta and entered the game with a 5-0 record. However, he suffered an injury after a wild pitch on the third batter he faced and was replaced by Zachary Levanduski (Elmira Heights/Thomas Edison). Cortland plated a run in the first, then scored four runs in the second to knock out Levanduski. Corey Andresen (Deposit) pitched the final six and a third innings and gave up eight hits and two walks, but only one run.
Cortland freshman Adam Smith (Vestal) finished 4-for-4 with a walk and junior Matt June (Colonie) was 4-for-5 with two runs scored. Sophomore Zack Graczyk (Carmel) and sophomore John Adornetto (Commack) were each 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Michael Center (Schenectady) went 2-for-3 and Kevin Knack (Ghent/Ichabod Crane) finished 2-for-4 with a walk for Oneonta. Eric Wells (Athens, PA) was 2-for-5 with an RBI.
Adornetto singled in Cortland's run in the first. The second inning featured a Graczyk two-run single and a Tim Paneta (Mount Kisco/Fox Lane) RBI single. Oneonta scored its three runs in the sixth on RBI singles by Wells, Pete Lindner (Voorheesville) and Mike Mascari (Syracuse/Westhill).
In the seventh, pinch hitter Michael Arcuri (Utica/Proctor) and Knack led off with singles – the first off Schuldt and the second off Molloy – to put runners on first and third. Bryan Marotta (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) drove in pinch runner Matthew Whelehan (Brooklyn/Midwood) with an RBI groundout, and another groundout advanced Knack to third. Molloy got Wells to ground out to short to keep Cortland up by one.
In the bottom of the seventh, June led off with an infield single. Graczyk bunted him to second and Adornetto singled to center with two outs to drive in the run.
GAME 2: Cortland 3, Oneonta 1
Ratliff struck out six and walked three to improve to 4-2 for the spring. Oneonta's Christopher Smith (Colonie) allowed five hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out two and is 3-2 with the loss.
Sophomore Matt Wild (Auburn) led off the bottom of the third with a double and senior Justin Fredenburg (Saugerties) was hit by a pitch. Sophomore Bryan Mistretta (Commack) sacrificed the runners to second and third and June hit a sacrifice fly to left to drive in Wild.
In the fifth, Fredenburg doubled to lead off the frame and Mistretta again executed a sacrifice bunt that moved the runner to third. Smith recorded the second out, but hit Graczyk with a pitch. Junior Nick Thode (Huntington Station/Walt Whitman) and Adornetto followed with back-to-back RBI singles to give Cortland a 3-0 lead. Adornetto finished the game 2-for-2.
Oneonta scored its run in the sixth. Whelehan led off with a walk and Knack singled to center to put runners on first and third. With one out, DeCarr grounded out to short on a close play that scored the run. Ratliff induced a popup to end the inning, then struck out three of the four batters he faced in the seventh to end the game.