AUBURNDALE, FLA. – Austin Clock (Niskayuna) hit the game-winning, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 10th inning and Turner Parry (Syracuse/West Genesee) retired all 11 batters he faced, eight by strikeout, to earn the victory as nationally top-ranked Cortland defeated second-ranked Wisconsin-La Crosse, 4-3, to improve to 11-0 on the season.
Earlier in the day, the Red Dragons defeated William Paterson, 10-3, as Tanner Whiteman (Cazenovia) improved to 4-0 with five innings of four-hit ball.
Cortland will play Rutgers-Camden on Monday at 3 p.m. in Winter Haven, Fla.
Cortland 4, Wisconsin-La Crosse 3 (10 inn.)
Cortland rallied from a 3-1 deficit after four innings to defeat the Eagles (2-2) in a rematch of last year's NCAA Div. III World Series best-of-three championship round, which the Red Dragons swept.
Wisconsin-La Crosse took a 1-0 lead in the first on a Justin Anderson RBI single, but Cortland tied the game in the bottom of the second on a Clock RBI fielder's choice. The Eagles, however, plated a run in the third on Ben Morgan's RBI single and another in the fourth when Alex Brown led off with a double and eventually scored on a pair of wild pitches.
Cortland cut its deficit to 3-2 in the fifth on Keith Andrews' (East Northport/Commack) first collegiate homer, and the Red Dragons tied the game in the fifth on a walk, an error, another walk and a Clock RBI groundout.
La Crosse threatened in the seventh when a one-out walk and a Taylor Kohlwey single put runners on first and third. After a passed ball moved Kohlwey to second, Parry entered the game with a 1-2 count. He struck out the next two batters to escape the jam, and proceeded to retired the side in order in the eighth, ninth and 10th innings. He finished with eight of Cortland's 14 strikeouts in the contest.
Cortland had runners reach third base in the seventh and eighth innings, but La Crosse starter Caleb Boushley got out of both jams. Boushley, who unofficially threw almost 150 pitches, exited with a no-decision after nine innings. He allowed five hits and three runs, one earned, with four walks and eight strikeouts.
Figueroa opened the bottom of the 10th with single through the right side against reliever Jake Stern. Nick Hart (Fredonia) executed a sac bunt with a 2-2 count to move Figueroa to second, and Figueroa went to third on a passed ball. La Crosse elected to intentionally walk Fabio Ricci (Hawthorne/Westlake) with the count 3-1, and also issued an intentional pass to Conrad Ziemendorf (Penfield/Webster Schroeder) to load the bases. Clock was down 0-2 in the count before lining the game-winning single to center. He finished with five RBI in the two Cortland victories on the day.
Nick Di Benedetto (Nanuet) started for Cortland and gave up three runs on six hits over four innings. He struck out five and walked three. Kashaun Curry (Middletown) threw the next two and a third innings, allowing two hits, two walks and no runs with one strikeout, before giving way to Parry.
Cortland 10, William Paterson 3
Cortland scored in each of the first five innings to take a 9-2 lead and the Red Dragons were never seriously threatened after that by the Pioneers (5-3). Whiteman allowed four hits and no walks and struck out three in five innings. He gave up two runs, one earned. Jesse Winters (South Glens Falls/Saratoga Central Catholic) and Mike Mills (Livingston Manor) each pitched two innings of relief. Winters gave up one run on three hits with two strikeouts and Mills allowed two hits in two scoreless frames.
Matt Personius (Binghamton/Chenango Valley) finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored and Clock was 1-for-2 with a walk, two RBI and two runs. For the Pioneers, Justin Ferreira was 3-for-3 with a homer, RBI and two runs after entering in the fifth and Mike Abate went 2-for-4.
Cortland scored on a wild pitch in the first and on an error and a Connor Manderson (New Hartford) sac fly in the second to go up 3-0. Clock doubled in two runs and Personius singled in a run in the third, and a two-run fourth featured a Steven Figueroa (Bronx/St. Raymond's) RBI groundout and a Ralph Nuzzi (Mount Kisco/Fox Lane) RBI single. Manderson also singled in a run in the seventh and finished with two RBI.