FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Junior Ray Angelucci (Commack) won his school record-tying 11th game of the season and junior Andrew Pezzuto (Hastings) finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored as nationally second-ranked Cortland defeated 14th-ranked Misericordia University, 7-2, during Day 2 of the NCAA Div. III regional at Farmingdale State College.
Cortland (37-7-1) is 2-0 at the regional and will play either Ithaca or Farmingdale State Friday at noon in the winner's bracket final of the six-team regional. The winner of that contest will advance to the championship round Saturday at noon, while the loser will have to play again Friday at 7 p.m.
Angelucci threw a complete-game seven-hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks. He's 11-1 on the season to tie Mike Howell for the school single-season victory record. Howell won 11 games in 2001. Matt Karabin started for Misericordia (36-10), which was eliminated from the regional. He allowed three hits and three unearned runs in five innings with five strikeouts and four walks.
The Cougars gave Karabin a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Mike Impellittiere led off with a single and went to third base on a wild pickoff throw by Angelucci. He scored two batters later on Jeff Slanovec's bunt single. Snanovec finished the game 3-for-4.
Cortland took the lead with three runs in the fifth. Bryan Mistretta (Commack) singled and Matt June (Colonie) walked. Pezzuto then put down a sacrifice bunt and was safe on a throwing error. Mistretta and June both scored on the play and Pezzuto advanced to third. John Adornetto (Commack) then hit a ball to first base. Pezzuto broke for home and was safe on the play, with a wild throw allowing Adornetto to go to second. He eventually moved to third base but was stranded.
The Red Dragons recorded four of their seven hits in a four-run seventh inning. June walked and scored on a Pezzuto triple down the right field line. Adornetto followed with an RBI single to right and Michael LaTempa (LaGrangeville/Arlington) reached on a bunt single. Two batters later, Max Rosing (Rockville Centre/South Side) hit an RBI single to center, and P.J. Rinaldi's (Bethel, CT) squeeze bunt plated LaTempa with the final run.
Misericordia tallied its last run in the seventh. Bubba Jasinski was hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a groundout and scored on a two-out Andrew Tressa single to center.
Adornetto finished 1-for-4 with a walk and two RBI and June reached base three times on walks.