CORTLAND, N.Y. – Cortland recorded a combined 26 hits in a SUNYAC doubleheader sweep over visiting Oneonta. The nationally seventh-ranked Red Dragons won the nine-inning opener, 8-2, and the seven-inning nightcap, 7-2, to improve to 25-8 overall and 11-3 in the SUNYAC. The teams will complete their three-game set Sunday in Cortland with a game at noon.
Game 1: Cortland 8, Oneonta 2
Sophomore Donny Castaldo (Mount Kisco/Fox Lane) finished 3-for-3 with a walk and senior Zack Graczyk (Carmel) was 3-for-5 for Cortland in the victory. Senior Brian Barry (Nesconset/Smithtown East) went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI and junior Max Rosing (Rockville Centre/South Side) finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
Senior Mike Hughes (Albany) improved to 4-1 after allowing two runs on seven hits in seven innings. He struck out one and walked one. Junior Steven Kimmelman (Riverhead) earned his second save of the season after giving up one hit and no walks and striking out two in two scoreless innings. He entered in the top of the eighth with Cortland leading 5-2.
Dylan Stamile was 3-for-4 with an RBI and Dean Haussel ended 2-for-4 for Oneonta. Starter Steve Ascher suffered the loss after allowing four runs on 10 hits in five and two-thirds innings. He struck out two and walked four.
The teams were tied 2-2 through five innings. Cortland scored on a P.J. Rinaldi (Bethel, CT) RBI single in the first and a Barry RBI single in the third. Oneonta scored a run in the second when Chris Massaroni scored from third when Ivan Plata was caught stealing to end the inning, but not before Massaroni crossed home plate. The guests tied the game in the fourth on a Stamile RBI single.
Cortland mounted a two-out rally to take the lead in the sixth. Anthony Iacomin (South Salem/John Jay-Cross River) and Castaldo each walked and Mistretta singled to drive home Iacomini. Graczyk followed with an RBI single through the right side.
Cortland added a run in the seventh on Iacomini's RBI single and registered three insurance runs in the eighth on Barry's two-run double and Tim Panetta's (Mount Kisco/Fox Lane) RBI single.
Game 2: Cortland 7, Oneonta 2
Cortland led 4-0 after three innings in the seven-inning contest, but faced some tense moments as Oneonta scored twice in the fifth and had the potential tying runs in scoring position with one out in the sixth.
Chris Jackson (Wappingers Falls/Roy C. Ketcham) singled home a run in the first and John Adornetto (Commack) hit a two-run single in the second to put Cortland up 3-0. Bryan Marotta's (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) hit a sacrifice fly in the third to extend the lead to 4-0.
Oneonta's fifth inning started with a Rob Peluso single, a Thomas Hand hit-by-pitch and a Jake Robinson single that loaded the bases with no outs and knocked out Cortland starter Brandon Serio (Bedford Hills/Fox Lane). Reliever Tyler Scott (New Paltz) allowed a Chris Orlando RBI single, but got the next batter to ground into a double play, with one run scoring. A Massaroni walk put runners on first and third. John Molloy (Franklin Square/Carey) entered to pitch, and during the first batter he faced Massaroni took off to steal second. Cortland threw down to second, and shortstop Adornetto then turned and fired to third to retire Robinson diving back into the base to end the inning.
Oneonta began the sixth, now down 4-2, with a Matt Salvatore single and Stamile being hit by a pitch. Plata bunted the runners to second and third, but Molloy got the next batter to ground out back to the mound. Brandon Nemeti (Lancaster) entererd and a walked a batter to load the bases. Cody Petre (Silver Springs/Letchworth) then came in and got a flyout the end the inning. Petre did give up two singles and a one-out walk to load the bases in the seventh with Cortland up 7-2, but got the next two batters out for his fourth save.
Cortland's three-run sixth featured a Rinaldi one-out, pinch-hit RBI single, a Graczyk two-out RBI double and a Jackson RBI single. Jackson and Adornetto each finished 2-for-4 with two RBI. Graczyk went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Rosing was 2-for-4. Serio, now 4-1, pitched four innings for the win. He gave up four hits and two runs with no walks and two strikeouts.
Orlando and Haussel each went 2-for-4 for Oneonta (10-20, 5-8 SUNYAC). Starter Alex Mastrianni suffered the loss.