AUBURN, N.Y. – Freshman Brandon Serio (Bedford Hills/Fox Lane) allowed only four hits and one unearned run in seven and a third innings as Cortland advanced to the championship round of the NCAA Div. III Baseball New York Regional with a 3-1 win over Amherst College.
Cortland (38-10) will face Ithaca Saturday at 5 p.m. and needs to defeat the Bombers to force a winner-take-all game between the teams Sunday. Ithaca has not lost at the regional and needs just one win to advance to the NCAA Div. III World Series.
Serio struck out three batters and did not walk anyone as he ran his record to 5-1. Junior Cody Petre (Silver Springs/Letchworth) earned his fifth save after giving up only two hits and no runs in the final inning and two-thirds.
Amherst starter Dylan Driscoll threw seven solid innings but took the loss. He gave up eight hits and two runs, one earned, with two strikeouts and one walk.
Cortland scored twice in the bottom of the first and never trailed. Zack Graczyk (Carmel) hit a one-out double, moved to third on a flyout and scored on P.J. Rinaldi's (Bethel, CT) single up the middle. Max Rosing (Rockville Centre/South Side) followed with a single, and an error on an Anthony Iacomini (South Salem/John Jay-Cross River) fly ball allowed Rinaldi to score.
The Lord Jeffs (27-13) scored in the fifth. Nic Meyer reached on a two-out error, then went to third on a wild pickoff throw by the catcher. Nolan Stewart hit an infield single to the shortstop hole to drive in Meyer.
The Jeffs threatened to tie the game in the top of the eighth when Meyer singled, was bunted to second and went to third on a wild pitch, but a groundout ended the inning. Cortland then added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning when Rosing and Iacomini each singled with one out, Brian Barry (Nesconset/Smithtown East) walked and Panetta hit a sacrifice fly to right. Petre allowed two singles in the ninth before a groundout ended the game.
Rosing finished 3-for-4 for Cortland, with Graczyk and Panetta each 2-for-3. The Red Dragons out-hit Amherst, 10-6. Meyer was 2-for-3 for the Jeffs.