PITTSBURGH, PA. – Cortland scored twice in the top of the first inning and senior Mike Hughes (Albany) pitched seven solid innings as the nationally seventh-ranked Red Dragons defeated La Roche College, 2-1, in a non-league contest.

The Red Dragons improved to 20-8 on the season and reached the 20-win mark for the 24th straight season. The Redhawks dropped to 19-6 with the loss.

Hughes, now 3-1 on the season, allowed seven hits and one run. He struck out six and did not walk anyone. Senior Tyler Scott (New Paltz) gave up only one hit and struck out two over the final two innings for his second save.

Cortland finished with 13 hits, but only scored in the first inning on a two-out RBI double by Max Rosing (Rockville Centre/South Side) and an RBI single by P.J. Rinaldi (Bethel, CT). Rosing finished 3-for-4, while junior Anthony Iacomini (South Salem/John Jay-Cross River) was 2-for-3. Senior John Adornetto (Commack) reached base three times on a single and two walks. The Red Dragons left 10 runners on base – seven in scoring position.

La Roche rallied for its run with two outs in the bottom of the sixth on consecutive singles by Sean Lubin, Dan Burns and Brad Goedeker. Burns and Anthony Girdano each finished 2-for-4. La Roche starter Ryan Fennell gave up 10 hits and a walk but only two runs in seven innings. He struck out seven and is now 4-1 this spring.

Cortland will play Misericordia University on Sunday at 2 p.m. at PNC Field in Moosic, Pa. PNC Field is the home of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Triple-A minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees.