ONEONTA, N.Y. – Mark Palumbo (Morristown, NJ) allowed one run over six and two-thirds innings and P.J. Rinaldi (Bethel, CT) went 3-for-4 with two of Cortland's nine stolen bases as the nationally seventh-ranked Red Dragons defeated Oneonta, 4-1, in the opening game of a three-game SUNYAC series.
Cortland (23-7, 11-2 SUNYAC) and Oneonta (9-17, 4-4 SUNYAC) will play a doubleheader at Oneonta Saturday at noon.
Palumbo, now 4-0, gave up only two hits and three walks and struck out four as he outdueled Oneonta's Steve Ascher. Oneonta's ace permitted six hits and two walks and struck out eight in seven innings, and the two runs he allowed were both unearned.
Ryan McAlary (Shoreham/Shoreham-Wading River), Cortland's second reliever, entered with two outs and two runners on in the seventh and his team clinging to a 2-1 lead. He got a flyout to end the inning, and allowed only one runner the rest of the way on a one-out error in the ninth for his first save of the season.
Cortland finished 9-for-9 on steal attempts, led by Donny Castaldo's (Mount Kisco/Fox Lane) three swipes, two each by Rinaldi and Anthony Iacomini (South Salem/John Jay-Cross River), and one apiece by Vinny Bomasuto (Dunkirk) and Conrad Ziemendorf (Penfield/Webster Schroeder). The nine steals are the most by the Red Dragons since nine against SUNYIT in 2007.
Rinaldi led off the second with a single, stole second, went to third on a passed ball and scored on a Bomasuto sacrifice fly. Oneonta tied the game in the fourth when Matt Mastroianni drew a one-out walk, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Dylan Stamile's two-out RBI single.
Cortland took the lead for good in the fifth behind Castaldo's legs. After reaching first on a fielder's choice for the second out, Castaldo stole second. He followed that with a steal of third, and a throwing error on the play allowed him to score.
The guests added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Michael DeCarr (Syracuse/Westhill) led off with a double and went to third when Bomasuto reached on an error. After Bomasuto stole second, DeCarr scored on Ziemendorf's RBI single up the middle. Anthony Simon (Suffern/Don Bosco Prep (NJ)) drove in the final run with a sac fly to center.