CORTLAND, N.Y. - Avery Brooks' two-run double capped a four-run seventh inning as Brockport defeated Cortland, 5-4, in the first game of a three-game SUNYAC weekend series.
The Golden Eagles (12-7, 5-1 SUNYAC) and the nationally second-ranked Red Dragons (17-4, 3-1 SUNYAC) will play a doubleheader Sunday at noon at Wallace Field.
Austin Spindler earned the win for Brockport after allowing three runs on 10 hits in six innings. He walked one and fanned one. Nick Jerolimov, the Golden Eagles' second reliever, picked up his fourth save of the season with two and two thirds innings of one-hit shutout ball. He registered two walks and one strikeout.
Jeff Cooke (Rome/Rome Free Academy) started for Cortland and took the loss to drop to 4-2. He gave up five runs, two earned, on six hits with five strikeouts and three walks in six and two thirds innings. Payten Boice (Homer) allowed two hits and no runs with one strikeout over the final two and a third innings.
Trailing 3-1, Brockport started its go-ahead rally in the seventh with a Matt Van Allen leadoff walk and a Luke Gilbert sac bunt. Van Allen took third on a passed ball and scored on a Joe Bender groundout.
Drew DeBlasiis, who finished the game 3-for-4 with two runs scored, bunted for a single. Mike D'Eletto appeared to fly out for the final out of the inning with Brockport down 3-2, but he was awarded first on catcher's interference. Dane Cala followed with a game-tying RBI single to right, and Brooks hit a two-run double to right to give the Golden Eagles the lead.
Cortland got a run back in the bottom of the seventh. Tyler Phillips (Hancock) led off with a double and Justin Teague (North Syracuse/Cicero-North Syracuse) singled to left, but Phillips had to hold at second as it first appeared the ball was caught. Patrick Schetter (Beacon) bunted the runners to second and third and, after Jerolimov entered, Matthew Personius' (Binghamton/Chenango Valley) groundout to short drove home Phillips. A flyout, however, stranded Teague at third.
Cortland also had runners reach first and second with one out in the eighth and a runner make it to second with one out in the ninth, but Jerolimov pitched out of both jams. Cortland ended up leaving 11 runners on base in the contest.
Brockport led 1-0 in the third on a Cala RBI groundout. The Red Dragons scored twice in the third on a Colin BeVard (Syracuse/West Genesee) single, a Steven Figueroa (Bronx/St. Raymond's) double, a Phillips RBI infield single, and a Teague RBI single. BeVard doubled in a run in the fourth to give Cortland a 3-1 lead.
Cala and Brooks each finished with two RBI for Brockport. Teague led Cortland's 13-hit attack by going 3-for-4 with a walk and RBI. BeVard was 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Figueroa and Phillips each were 2-for-5.