CORTLAND, N.Y. – Brandon McClain (Coram/Longwood) combined with two relievers for a shutout and Anthony Iacomini (South Salem/John Jay-Cross River) homered and drove in three runs as nationally sixth-ranked Cortland beat visiting Brockport, 8-0, in the first game of a doubleheader. The Red Dragons completed the sweep with a 6-4 win after holding off a rally by the Golden Eagles in the ninth inning.
Cortland has won nine straight games and is now 19-4 overall and 8-0 in the SUNYAC. Brockport fell to 11-8 overall and 3-6 in the league.
GAME 1: Cortland 8, Brockport 0
McClain improved to 6-0 on the season after allowing only four hits and a walk in five and a third innings during the seven-inning opener. He struck out three batters. Tyler Brien (Ilion) retired both batters he faced, one by strikeout, to finish the sixth and Jake Shelley (Owego/Owego Free Academy) gave up only a two-out single in a scoreless seventh inning.
Iacomini hit a solo homer in the top of the first inning to give the Red Dragons a 1-0 lead. Brockport batted last as the "home" team in each game since the three-game weekend series was originally scheduled to be at Brockport.
Cortland sent 11 batters to the plate in a seven-run third inning to take an 8-0 lead. Keith Andrews (Commack) and Donny Castaldo (Mount Kisco/Fox Lane) each singled and Conrad Ziemendorf (Penfield/Webster Schroeder) walked to load the bases and Iacomini hit a two-run single up the middle. After a P.J. Rinaldi (Bethel, CT) bunt single, Max Rosing (Rockville Centre/South Side) walked after an extended at-bat to force in a run.
Mitch Hollander (Woodbury/Syosset) followed with a two-run double down the left field line to knock out Brockport starter Zack Lander. Vinny Bomasuto (Dunkirk) walked, Chris Jackson (Wappingers Falls/John Jay-Cross River) hit a sacrifice fly and Andrews plated the final run with an RBI fielder's choice grounder.
Iacomini finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs and Castaldo was 2-for-4. Bomasuto walked twice and Ziemendorf was 1-for-3 with a walk.
Brockport's best scoring chance came in the bottom of the first. Mike Gianni singled with one out and went to second on a wild pitch. Wesley Burghardt hit a ball back to McClain, who attempted to throw back behind Gianni at second but his throw was wild. A groundout moved the runners to second and third, but McClain struck out the next hitter to end the threat. Brockport did not have another runner reach second base until the seventh inning.
GAME 2: Cortland 6, Brockport 4
Cortland took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Ziemendorf and Iacomini each singled with one out and Rosing was hit by a pitch. Bomasuto singled through the left side to drive in two runs. Brockport answered with a run in the bottom of the first. The Golden Eagles loaded the bases on singles by Kyle Tracy, Corey Hamula and, with one out, Dan Hurlimann. John Craig's groundout to first drove in Tracy, but a lineout to center stranded runners on second and third.
Neither team scored again until Brockport tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. Anthony Barbetto reached second on a leadoff error and went to third on a one-out fly ball to center. Serio then committed a balk to bring the run in.
Cortland answered with three runs in the top of the eighth. Ziemendorf led off with a double and was bunted to third by Iacomini. Dakota Stackhouse relieved Golden Eagles' starter Justin McCarthy and hit Rosing with a pitch. Bomasuto then singled up the middle to score Ziemendorf. Two batters later, Bryan Marotta (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) and Michael DeCarr (Syracuse/Westhill) greeted reliever Bradley Westling with back-to-back RBI singles and Cortland led 5-2. The lead grew to 6-2 in the ninth on a Rosing RBI double.
Brockport opened the bottom of the ninth with a Gianni bunt single and a Barbetto single to center. Bomasuto moved from his spot in left field to pitch as Cortland's third reliever of the game and walked Shawn Peake to load the bases. Colin Grande then singled to left center to drive in two runs and cut Brockport's deficit to 6-4.
Tracy successfully bunted the runners to second and third to put the tying runs in scoring position, but Bomasuto struck out the next hitter and got a groundout to first to end the game and earn his first save of the season.
Brandon Serio (Bedford Hills/Fox Lane) started and allowed seven hits and two runs, one earned, with two walks and four strikeouts before being relieved one batter into the bottom of the eighth. He improved to 5-2 with the victory. McCarthy took the loss after giving up three runs on seven hits in seven and a third innings. He struck out three and did not walk anyone.
Ziemendorf went 3-for-5 with three runs scored. Bomasuto was 2-for-5 with three RBI, Rosing went 2-for-3 with an RBI and was hit twice, and Marotta and DeCarr each finished 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Tracy was 2-for-3 with a walk and Grande finished 2-for-4 with two RBI to lead the Golden Eagles. Hurlimann went 2-for-5. Cortland out-hit Brockport, 12-10, in the game.