CORTLAND, N.Y. – The second-seeded Oswego State baseball team handed fourth-seeded Oneonta its first loss of the SUNYAC Championship on Sunday morning to advance to the championship round. It is the fifth time in six SUNYAC Championships that the Lakers have appeared in the championship round. Due to rain, the championship round has been moved to Monday afternoon.

THE BASICS

• Result: No. 2 Oswego 5, No. 4 Oneonta 2
• Location: Bob Wallace Field – Cortland, N.Y.
• Records: Oswego 28-12  |  Oneonta 18-20

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Oswego notched all it would need in the first three innings of the contest, capitalizing on several Oneonta miscues.
• With one out in the bottom of the first, Ryan Enos sent a deep fly to center field that was dropped, resulting in the sophomore reaching third base. Mike Dellicarri did not waste the opportunity, driving a sacrifice fly to right to score his teammate.
• In the bottom of the third, the Lakers plated four runs, beginning with a two-run bomb over a tree beyond the left-center fence by Enos. Paul Tammaro scored on the homer after reaching on a hit-by-pitch and Enos' run proved to be the game-winner.
• Defense and pitching shined throughout the contest, with the defense highlighted in the final six frames.
• Oneonta answered with two runs in the top of the fourth and was still threatening with a runner on and two outs. Patrick McGee crushed a ball to the center-field fence but Brandon Nicholson preserved the three-run lead with an incredible catch. The senior leapt at the wall, reached over the fence's protective cover and brought back what would have been a two-run homer. He came down, somersaulted, rose to his feet still possessing the ball and received the out call from the third-base umpire to end the half inning.
• Enos flashed his leather in the fifth, snatching a high hopper at the height of his jump before throwing out the runner at first to end that half inning.
• The first out of the sixth was another highlight for Nicholson, sliding to rob a line-drive single from the Red Dragons.
• It was Enos's turn next with two outs in the seventh. The Oriskany, N.Y. native cut off a slow roller to the shortstop and made a quick throw to first, with Ryan Weiss' stretch being just enough to put out the runner.
• With one out in the eighth and runners on first and second, it was Rocco Leone and Tammaro connecting on defense for an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
• In the ninth, Oneonta was able to put its first two runners on, bringing the tying run to the plate. Closer Ronald Loomis was able to induce a ground ball right over third base. Enos gloved the grounder, stepped on the bag and fired to Leone at second for a double play.
• Loomis finished the job for his second save of the year with a swinging strikeout.
• Starting pitcher Nick DeMarco was brilliant in 8.0 innings of work. The senior allowed just two runs to improve to 6-2 on the year. DeMarco struck out eight Oneonta batters, including two strikeouts in each of the first three innings.
• Nick Chilson joined Enos with two hits in the game, including an RBI single to score Lukas Olsson for the final Laker run of the game. Olsson had an RBI single of his own to score Dellicarri for Oswego's third run of the four-run, third inning.

WHAT'S NEXT

Top-seeded Cortland came back to eliminate No. 4 Oneonta 8-7 in Sunday's second game. The Red Dragons and Lakers will meet at 12 p.m. on Monday. Oswego needs to win just one game to defend its SUNYAC title. An "if necessary" game between the two schools is tentatively scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Monday.