BROCKPORT, N.Y. - Fabio Ricci's (Hawthorne/Westlake) RBI single in the top of the seventh broke a 5-5 tie as Cortland defeated host Brockport, 6-5, in a seven-inning contest to complete a doubleheader sweep against the SUNYAC-leading Golden Eagles. Cortland won the nine-inning opener, 11-2, behind eight strong innings from starter Seth Lamando (Hopewell Junction/Roy C. Ketcham).
Cortland (21-3) and Brockport (15-8) are now tied for first in the SUNYAC standings with 6-2 marks. The teams will conclude their three-game series Saturday at noon in Brockport.
Cortland 11, Brockport 2
Lamando upped his season record to 5-0 after scattering eight hits over eight innings. He struck out five and did not walk anyone. The only two runs he allowed were on back-to-back solo homers by Josh Martin and Paul Ludden in the bottom of the second that tied the score at 2-2.
Cortland responded with five runs in the top of the third to take the lead for good. Ricci singled in the first two runs of the inning, followed by a Nick Hart (Fredonia) RBI double. The other two runs scored on an error and a Conrad Ziemendorf (Penfield/Webster Schroeder) RBI single.
The Red Dragons took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on RBI singles by Steven Figueroa (Bronx/St. Raymond's) and Ricci. Cortland added four runs in the eighth with six hits, including a Figueroa RBI single, an Austin Clock (Niskayuna) two-run single and a Hart RBI single.
Cortland finished with 16 hits as six different players recorded multiple-hit games. Figueroa was 3-for-3 with two walks, two RBI and three runs scored in five plate appearances. Ricci finished 2-for-5 with three RBI, Clock went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs, and Hart was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Paul Dondero (East Islip) ended 2-for-4 and Ziemendorf was 2-for-5 with an RBI.
Ludden went 2-for-3 with a walk and Martin finished 2-for-4 for Brockport. Tyler Clifford started and gave up nine hits and seven runs, five earned, in two and two thirds innings.
Cortland 6, Brockport 5
Brockport rallied from a 5-0 deficit and eventually tied the game with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Cortland, however, came back to score what held up as the winning run in the top of the seventh. Clock led off with a single and pinch runner Marcos Perivolaris (Mattituck) went to second on a wild pitch and to third on a balk. Ricci singled through the left side to drive in the tie-breaking run.
Cortland scored four times in the top of the first on a wild pitch, a Ricci two-run single and a Connor Griffin (Cortland) RBI groundout. The Red Dragons extended the lead to 5-0 in the second when Dondero doubled with two outs and scored on a Figueroa single.
Brockport recorded four of its nine hits in a three-run third inning Three of those hits were consecutive RBI singles by Chris Davis, Martin and Ludden. Greg Ruddy's RBI single in the fourth closed the deficit to 5-4, and the Golden Eagles tied the game in the sixth on another Ruddy RBI hit.
Jeff Cooke (Rome/Rome Free Academy) earned the win for Cortland in relief of starter Ben Moxley (Oneonta). Cook threw the fourth, fifth and sixth innings and gave up two unearned runs on four hits. He struck out two and walked one. Turner Parry (Syracuse/West Genesee) came in to start the bottom of the seventh and notched his third save of the season. He walked two batters, but also struck out two, including the game's final batter. Moxley allowed five hits, a walk and three runs over the first three innings with two strikeouts.
Brockport starter Sam McCumiskey threw five frames and allowed seven hits and five runs. He walked three and struck out three. Nick Jerolimov pitched the sixth and faced one batter in the seventh and was charged with the loss.
Ricci went 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBI and finished the doubleheader a combined 4-for-8 with six RBI. Griffin was 2-for-4 with an RBI, Dondero went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, and Clock ended the game 2-for-4. For Brockport, Ruddy went 3-for-4 with two RBI and Ludden was 2-for-3 with an RBI.