SALISBURY, MD. – Patrick Schetter (Beacon) singled home the winning run in the top of the ninth inning as nationally top-ranked Cortland defeated 18th-ranked Salisbury, 5-4, in the season opener for both teams at the newly opened Salisbury Sea Gull Baseball Stadium. The teams will complete their two-game weekend series Sunday at noon.

With the game knotted at 4-4, Cortland began its winning rally with a two-out single by Colin BeVard (Syracuse/West Genesee). Garrett Heaton (East Patchogue/Bellport) followed with a single through the left side, and Schetter also singled through the left side to drive home BeVard with the go-ahead run.

Kyle Naugle (Fayetteville/Jamesville-DeWitt) allowed only a one-out single and fanned one batter in the bottom of the ninth for the save. Isiah Hudson (Hyde Park/FDR) earned the victory after allowing one hit and striking out three in an inning and two thirds after entering with one out in the seventh.

Schetter and Heaton each finished 3-for-5 and BeVard was 2-for-4 with a walk, three RBI and two runs scored. BeVard's three-run homer to straightaway center in the top of the second gave Cortland a 4-1 lead after each team scored once in the first.

Cortland grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first on a two-out throwing error that scored Heaton, who singled with one out and moved to second on a passed ball. Salisbury tied it in bottom of the frame, loading the bases on two hit batsmen, sandwiched around a walk, and scoring on a one-out RBI single by Simon Palenchar.

BeVard's three-run homer was set up by a Paul Dondero (East Islip) leadoff single and a Matt Michalski (Buffalo/St. Francis) two-out hit-by-pitch. Salisbury tied the game in the fifth on Jay Perry's three-run double.

Jake Casey (Homer) started for Cortland and allowed two hits, three walks and two runs with four strikeouts in four and a third innings. Mike Harrington (Glens Falls) gave up two hits, two walks and two runs in two innings.

Salisbury starter Austin Heenan went five innings and allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits. He struck out eight and walked one. Connor Reeves tossed the final four frames and gave up one run on four hits with no walks or strikeouts.