Cortland Hammers Rochester, 17-6, in Battle of Top-25 Teams

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ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Cortland scored all 17 of its runs over the first five innings and the nationally sixth-ranked Red Dragons defeated 22nd-ranked University of Rochester, 17-6, in a non-league baseball game at Rochester's Towers Field.
 
Cortland won for the 14th time in the last 15 games to improve to 26-7 on the season. The Yellowjackets had their 14-game winning streak snapped and are now 24-5.
 
Mat Bruno (Rye) drove in six runs for the Red Dragons on a three-run homer during a four-run first inning, a grounder that brought in a run during a five-run second, and a two-run triple a part of a three-run third inning. Scott Giordano (Croton-on-Hudson/Croton-Harmon) was 2-for-4 with a bases-loaded walk in the second, an RBI double in a three-run fourth and three runs scored.
 
Danny Coleman (Saratoga Springs) and Paul Franzese (Somers) also drove in two runs each - Coleman on a two-run double in the second and Franzese on a groundout in the fourth and a sac fly during a two-run fifth inning. James Varian (Hopewell Junction/Trinity-Pawling) went 2-for-3 with a walk, RBI and run scored, Antonio Pragana (Hopewell Junction/John Jay) finished 2-for-5 with two runs, Matt Funk (Pine Plains) was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Ben Rhodes (Amsterdam) ended 1-for-2 with a walk, RBI and three runs.
 
Cortland's four runs in the first were unearned after an error allowed a run to score and extended the inning to set up Bruno's three-run homer. Rochester answered with three in the bottom of the inning on a Harper Sy two-run double and a two-out error. Anthony Fusco (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) entered in relief after the Sy double and earned the win as Cortland's most effective reliever. Now 7-1 on the year, he gave up two hits, no walks and no runs and struck out three in four innings.
 
Fusco was the first of six Cortland relievers in the contest. Mike Hennessy (Stony Brook/Smithtown East) followed with a perfect inning and a third. The Red Dragons' final two relievers - Liam Krasney (Greenville) and Triston Olmo (Ardsley) - each gave up one hit and didn't allow any runs.
 
Rochester used nine pitchers. Colby Cruser started and allowed three hits, a walk and four unearned runs in one inning for the loss. The final four Yellowjackets' pitchers - Aidan Cooney, Luke Boylan, Dillon Bevan and Thomas Karpishin - each tossed a scoreless inning. Rochester scored its final three runs in the bottom of the seventh on a Dylan Stezzi two-run homer and Jackson Reed RBI infield single.
 
Cortland out-hit Rochester, 15-9, and also reached on seven walks and three hit batters.
 
Cortland is idle until hosting Wilkes next Tuesday, April 26, in a 3:30 p.m. non-league matchup.