OSWEGO, N.Y. - Seth Lamando (Hopewell Junction/Roy C. Ketcham) threw a five-hitter with no walks and eight strikeouts and Paul Dondero (East Islip) went 3-for-5, including a home run to lead off the game, as nationally top-ranked Cortland defeated fourth-ranked Oswego, 8-1, in the opening game of a three-game SUNYAC series.
The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday at Oswego at noon. Cortland improved to 29-5 overall and 12-4 in the SUNYAC with the win. Oswego still leads the conference with a 10-3 mark and is 25-5 overall.
Lamando improved to 7-0 on the season with the win. The only run he allowed came on a solo homer by John Barnes with one out in the bottom of the fifth. Brian Nolan started for Oswego and took his first loss of the year. Now 4-1, Nolan allowed nine hits, four walks and six runs in five innings with five strikeouts.
Dondero and Conrad Ziemendorf (Penfield/Webster Schroeder) each finished 3-for-5 with two RBI, with Dondero also scoring three runs. Nick Hart (Fredonia) went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs, Fabio Ricci (Hawthorne/Westlake) was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Steven Figueroa (Bronx/St. Raymond's) ended 2-for-4. Barnes and Mike Dellicarri each were 1-for-3 for the Lakers. Cortland out-hit Oswego, 14-5.
Dondero led off the game with a homer to left on a 3-2 pitch to give the Red Dragons the lead. The advantage grew to 2-0 in the third when Hart singled, went to third on a Ziemendorf single and scored on Austin Clock's (Niskayuna) sac fly. Cortland added another run in the fourth on a Dondero RBI single.
After Oswego got on the board in the fifth on Barnes' homer, Cortland answered right back with four runs in the sixth. Figueroa singled and stole second, Connor Griffin (Cortland) walked and, after a passed ball, Justin Teague (North Syracuse/Cicero-North Syracuse) drew the third of his three walks in the game. Oswego got a force at home for the first out, but Hart singled to right to drive in two runs and, two batters later, Ziemendorf hit a two-run double to left.
Cortland closed the scoring in the eighth on a Ricci sac fly. Oswego threatened in the ninth when Wes Randall was hit by a pitch and Brian Hamilton singled to lead off the inning, but Lamando struck out the next two batters and got a groundout to end the game.