CORTLAND, N.Y. – Junior Ray Angelucci (Commack) allowed six hits and one run over five and two-thirds innings and Cortland's offense pounded out 18 hits as the Red Dragons defeated Plattsburgh, 14-1, to salvage a split of a SUNYAC doubleheader. The Cardinals won the opening game, 2-0, behind a six-hit shutout by Tyler Greene.
Cortland, ranked 14th nationally by D3baseball.com and seventh by the ABCA, is now 16-6-1 overall and 4-2 in the SUNYAC. Plattsburgh is 13-9 and 5-4.
GAME 1: Plattsburgh 2, Cortland 0
Greene outdueled Cortland junior Mike Hughes (Albany) in the seven-inning opener. Greene struck out six batters and walked none for his second win in three decisions this spring. Hughes allowed just five hits and one walk in seven innings with two strikeouts.
Plattsburgh scored both of its runs in the top of the fifth. Brian Latulipe singled with one out and Casey Brighton reached on an infield single. Matt Meunier followed with a single to right to score Latulipe and move Brighton to third. Pat Shaughnessy then hit a sacrifice fly to deep center to drive home Brighton.
The Cardinals' runs came right after Cortland had threatened in the bottom of the fourth. Andrew Pezzuto (Hastings), who finished 2-for-3, singled with one out and John Adornetto (Commack) doubled down the right field line to put runners on second and third. Greene escaped by striking out the next hitter and inducing an inning-ending groundout. Cortland did not have any other runners in scoring position the rest of the game.
GAME 2: Cortland 14, Plattsburgh 1
Cortland struck early in the nine-inning second game with three runs in the first, two in the second, five in the fourth and three in the fifth to take a 13-1 lead. Adornetto went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI, Bryan Mistretta (Commack) finished 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs and Tim Panetta (Mount Kisco/Fox Lane) was 2-for-3 with a triple, walk and two RBI.
Two other Red Dragons recorded multiple hits. Adam Smith (Vestal) entered the game as a pinch hitter and finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and Mathew Wild (Auburn) was 2-for-5. In addition, Matt June (Colonie) hit a two-run homer and finished 1-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and two runs.
Angelucci struck out four and walked none and is 5-1 this season. Three relievers combined for three and a third scoreless innings. Brendan Hourihan (Yorktown Heights/Lakeland) pitched an inning and a third and allowed one hit with one strikeout. A.J. Valentino (West Islip) gave up a hit and a walk and fanned one in the eighth and Tom Nagy (Greenville/Minisink Valley) struck out two and allowed one hit in the ninth.
For Plattsburgh, Chris Pescetti finished 3-for-4, while Kris Cauchon and Latulipe were each 2-for-4. Brighton singled in the Cardinals' lone run in the top of the fifth.
Cortland's three-run first inning featured RBI doubles by Adornetto and Chris Jackson (Wappingers Falls/Roy C. Ketcham) and a Panetta RBI single. Mistretta singled in a run and eventually scored on a wild pitch in the second. The Red Dragons batted around in the fourth. Pezzuto hit an RBI single, followed by an Adornetto two-run double off the fence in right. Later in the inning, Panetta tripled in a run and scored on a wild pitch.
June hit a two-run homer and Kyle Barkley (Penn Yan) added a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and Smith singled home a run in the eighth.
Cortland will travel to Oswego on Tuesday, April 3, for a 3 p.m. SUNYAC contest.