CORTLAND, N.Y. – Sophomore Zachary Badanes (Syosset) and two relievers combined on a six-hit shutout as nationally 12th-ranked Cortland defeated Cazenovia, 12-0, in a non-league contest. Badanes, now 2-1, allowed three hits and a walk and struck out eight over six innings. Sophomore Tyler Scott (New Paltz) gave up two hits and a walk and fanned two batters in two innings and senior Kris Gentzke (Clarence Center/Clarence), making his first pitching appearance of the season, retired the side in order in the ninth with two strikeouts.
The Red Dragons (23-6) broke open a close game after four innings with a combined 11 runs in their final four at-bats. Junior Matt June (Colonie) went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two steals, including a straight steal of home for Cortland's first run in the third.
Sophomore Zack Graczyk (Carmel) was 2-for-5 with two steals and freshman P.J. Rinaldi (Bethel, CT), who entered the game as a defensive replacement, hit a three-run homer during a five-run seventh inning. Gentzke, who initially entered as a pinch hitter before moving to pitcher, hit a two-run double in a three-run eighth.
Jerome Bright (San Francisco, CA/Leadership) finished 2-for-3 and Rich Battoglia (Rochester/Penfield) drew two walks for Cazenovia (5-17). Kyle Warner (Fulton/G. Ray Bodley) suffered the loss after allowing six hits, three walks and four runs in six innings. He held the Red Dragons to one run on two hits through the first four innings before giving up two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth.
In the third, June reached on a one-out bunt single and went to second on a Graczyk single. The two pulled off a double steal of second and third, but Warner induced a foulout for the second out. June then broke for home during a Warner delivery and was safe on a close play when Cazenovia's catcher couldn't handle the pitch in the dirt.
Cortland tallied two in the fifth on a John Adornetto (Commack) RBI groundout and a Nick Thode (Huntington Station/Walt Whitman) RBI single to right. Sophomore Matt Wild (Auburn) led off the sixth with a double and scored on a one-out double by freshman Adam Smith (Vestal).
The Red Dragons' first run in their five-run seventh came after a throwing error during an attempted double play. Later in the inning, pinch hitter Chris Jackson (Wappingers Falls/Roy C. Ketcham) hit an RBI single that fell in between the center and right fielders, and Rinaldi followed with a three-run blast over the fence in left center. Cortland's 11 home runs this season have been hit by 11 different players.
Cortland's final three runs came in the eighth on an Alex Coffey (Hilton) RBI fielder's choice grounder and Gentzke's two-run double.
Cazenovia had good scoring chances go by the boards in the sixth and eighth innings. In the sixth, Colin Parry (Auburn) led off with a single and was bunted to second by Bright. Battoglia walked, and a groundout to first moved the runners to second and third, but Badanes struck out the next batter to end the inning. In the eighth, the Wildcats loaded the bases with one out on a Bright single, a Battoglia walk and a Josh Tucker (West Monroe/Central Square) single. Scott escaped with a double play grounder as freshman second baseman James Quinn (Guilderland) tagged the runner heading from first then threw out the batter.
Cortland's home games this weekend versus Oneonta have been shifted. The teams will now play a doubleheader on Friday at 1 p.m. and a single game Saturday at noon.