NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Bryan Marotta (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) doubled twice and drove in two runs and seven pitchers combined to limit Mt. St. Mary to a combined five hits as the nationally fifth-ranked Cortland baseball team concluded its regular-season schedule with a 9-3 win at Mt. St. Mary College.
The Red Dragons (31-8) will return to action next week in the NCAA Div. III playoffs. The announcement of NCAA regional pairings are scheduled to be made on NCAA.com on Sunday, May 11. Cortland has earned an NCAA automatic bid by winning last weekend's SUNYAC tournament and will be making its 22nd straight NCAA appearance.
By pre-arrangement, Cortland used seven different pitchers in the win over the Knights (13-20). Zach Ferris (Stephentown/LaSalle Institute) earned the win after opening with two innings of one-hit ball. Ryan McAlary (Shoreham/Shoreham-Wading River) followed with two hitless innings, allowing only one walk. Other Red Dragon pitching highlights included a hitless inning apiece by Tyler Brien (Ilion), Travis Laitar (Fergus, ON/Centre Wellington), Steven Kimmelman (Riverhead) and Vinny Bomasuto (Dunkirk).
Cortland scored in the first when Conrad Ziemendorf (Penfield/Webster Schroeder) singled with one out and Anthony Iacomini (South Salem/John Jay-Cross River) hit an RBI double. The Red Dragons scored an unearned run in the third with the benefit of two errors and a wild pitch prior to a Ziemendorf sacrifice fly.
In the fourth, Max Rosing (Rockville Centre/South Side) hit a one-out single and scored on a Bomasuto triple. Mark DeMilio (Valhalla) drove in Bomasuto with a sac fly to center. P.J. Rinaldi (Bethel, CT) led off the sixth with a single and pinch runner Mitch Hollander (Woodbury/Syosset) eventually scored on a Marotta RBI double.
Cortland extended its lead to 7-0 in the seventh on a Chris Jackson (Wappingers Falls/Roy C. Ketcham) RBI triple and a Michael DeCarr (Syracuse/Westhill) sac fly. The Red Dragons' final runs came in the ninth on back-to-back RBI doubles by Marotta and Austin Clock (Niskayuna).
Mt. St. Mary scored its three runs in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run single by pinch hitter Michael Klein and an RBI single by Jimmy Papineau, who finished the game 2-for-4.