PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – 6th-ranked SUNY Cortland provided a rude welcoming to the University of Rochester baseball team into the top-25 poll, handing Rochester its first loss in nearly a month on Wednesday, winning 17-6.
22nd-ranked Rochester (24-5), into the D3baseball.com poll for the first time this season, snaps a 14-game winning streak with the loss. SUNY Cortland improves to 26-7 on the year.
The visiting Red Dragons put up crooked numbers in each of the first five innings of the game, scoring four in the first, five in the second, three in the third and fourth and two more in the fifth, jumping out to a 17-3 lead.
Rochester was able to hang a three-run first inning as well, but Cortland quickly pulled away with some solid hitting over the next four innings. The Yellowjackets completed the scoring in the seventh with three additional runs.
Two Yellowjackets, Harper Sy and Dylan Stezzi each drove in two runs. Sy's two RBI came in the bottom of the first on a double to right center. Stezzi's was in the seventh on a 2-run home run to left. Jackson Reed added an RBI infield single in the seventh.
UR's Josh Leadem was the only Yellowjacket to finish with two hits, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases.
Offensively for Cortland, Mat Bruno paced the Red Dragons with a 2-for-5 game with six RBI. Bruno provided the big hit in the first inning, launching a 3-run home run to left and added a 2-run triple in the third. Scott Giordano added a 2-for-3 game with three runs and two RBI. Antonio Pragana, James Varian and Matt Funk also had two hits apiece for the Red Dragons.
Rochester used nine pitchers in the outing. Colby Cruser took the loss giving up four unearned runs in the first inning. Aidan Cooney provided the lone perfect inning for the Yellowjacket hurlers, tossing a 1-2-3 sixth inning. Nolan Sparks struck out two in his 1.1 inning outing.
Cortland's Anthony Fusco picked up his seventh win of the season tossing four innings of scoreless relief for the visitors. He allowed just two hits and struck out three after coming on in the bottom of the first inning.
The Yellowjackets next contest is set for Saturday afternoon at Ithaca.