CORTLAND, N.Y. - James Varian (Hopewell Junction/Trinity-Pawling) hit two of Cortland's four home runs as the nationally sixth-ranked Red Dragons held off visiting Ithaca, 12-8, in a non-league baseball contest.
 
The game was originally scheduled to be played at Ithaca on Wednesday, but was moved up one day and relocated to Cortland due to the weather forecast and field conditions at Ithaca.
 
Ithaca (17-7) took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on a Buzz Shirley RBI double and a Gil Merod RBI groundout. Cortland (22-7), however, responded with six runs in the bottom of the first as Scott Giordano (Croton-on-Hudson/Croton-Harmon) hit a two-run double, followed later in the inning by a Matt Funk (Pine Plains) three-run homer - his first collegiate round-tripper - and a Varian solo shot.
 
The Cortland lead grew to 8-2 in the second after a two-out error and a Danny Coleman (Saratoga Springs) two-run homer - his team-high ninth of the season. Ithaca came back with a run in the third on Ryan Laubscher's pinch-hit RBI single and three in the fourth on Shirley's two-run single and Connor Pedersen's run-scoring single to make it 8-6. The Bombers, however, left the bases loaded with one out as reliever Brendan Disonell (Clifton Park/Shenenehowa) struck out two batters.
 
Cortland loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth but managed only one run on a two-out wild pitch. The score remained 9-6 until the top of the seventh when the Bombers used a one-out Riley Brawdy single, a Mike Nauta double and a Louis Fabbo sac fly to pull within two runs. Dylan Beers (Woodbury/Monroe-Woodbury) allowed the sac fly on the first batter he faced, followed by an intentional walk to Shirley before registering a strikeout to end the threat.
 
Cortland notched three insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth. Varian led off with a homer to make it 10-7. Chris Bonacci (Syracuse/West Genesee) drew a one-out walk, Andrew Michalski (Buffalo/St. Francis) reached on a two-out infield single, and Giordano hit a two-run double to right. Fabbo hit a solo homer with two outs in the ninth for Ithaca to close the scoring.
 
Will McCarthy (Farmingdale) started for Cortland as part of a predetermined pitching rotation and earned the win with three innings on the mound. He gave up three runs on six hits with two walks and was the pitcher of record when he left the game with Cortland leading 8-3. Disonell, Cortland's third reliever, allowed one run over three innings with six hits allowed. He struck out four and walked one. Beers earned the save after giving up one run over the final two and two thirds innings. Ithaca had the potential tying run at the plate when he entered the game in the seventh.
 
Ithaca starter Kyle Lambert allowed six runs on six hits in one inning of work. Garrett Bell permitted three unearned runs and just one hit over three innings. He fanned four and walked two. Zane Grimes followed with three scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one single from the fifth through seventh innings.
 
Giordano ended the game 2-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored. Varian was 2-for-4 with his two solo homers and Michalski was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs. Ithaca finished with 17 hits, including a 4-for-5 effort from Pedersen and 3-for-5 outings from Shirley, Fabbo and Nauta, but the Bombers left 13 runners on base.