OSWEGO, N.Y. - Cortland erased a four-run deficit with six runs in the top of the ninth and the nationally fifth-ranked Red Dragons defeated 18th-ranked Oswego, 10-8, to salvage a doubleheader split with the Lakers. Oswego won the first game, 8-7, despite Cortland nearly rallying from a five-run deficit. 
 
Cortland is now 27-10 overall and is in second place in the SUNYAC with a 12-3 league mark. Oswego, which won two of three games from the Red Dragons on the weekend, is now 24-8 and leads the conference with a 13-2 record. Cortland and Oswego each have three league games remaining next Friday and Saturday - Cortland at New Paltz and Oswego at Fredonia. 
 
Oswego 8, Cortland 7 
 
Oswego took early leads of 5-1 after one inning and 8-3 after two innings in the seven-inning opener. Cortland scored four times in the top of the third to close within 8-7, but neither team scored the rest of the way. 
 
Cortland led 1-0 in the first on a Danny Coleman (Saratoga Springs) RBI single. Oswego's five-run first featured a Lukas Olsson RBI single and a Ryan Weiss grand slam. 
 
Mat Bruno's (Rye) two-run homer in the second cut the Lakers' lead to 5-3. Oswego, however, plated three runs in the second on a Kyle Lauria RBI single and a pair of wild pitches. In the top of the third, a one-out error, a Coleman single and a hit batter loaded the bases and Hunter Holliday (Camden) hit a grand slam. 
 
Oswego loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the third, but Cortland reliever Brendan Disonell (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) kept the score at 8-7 with a strikeout and two pop-ups. He finished with no runs allowed over four innings with three hits, one walk and four strikeouts. 
 
Cortland had a runner in scoring position in both the sixth and seventh innings, but a double play ended the sixth-inning threat with runners on first and second, and Oswego reliever Ben Wilcox allowed a leadoff single in the seventh and a two-out steal, but otherwise struck out the side for the save. 
 
Paul Tammaro went 4-for-4 with two runs scored and Ryan Enos was 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs to lead Oswego's offense. Scott Giordano (Croton-on-Hudson/Croton-Harmon) was 3-for-4, Coleman went 2-for-4 and Holliday was 1-for-3 with a homer, four RBI and two runs for Cortland. 
 
Kieran Finnegan posted the win for Oswego despite allowing eight hits and seven runs, five earned, with two strikeouts and two walks. Anthony Fusco (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) suffered the loss for Cortland after allowing eight runs in one-plus innings.

Cortland 10, Oswego 8 
 
Oswego led 8-4 entering in top of the ninth on the verge of completing a three-game weekend sweep of the Red Dragons. Cortland, however, opened the inning with an Antonio Pragana (Hopewell Junction/John Jay) walk and Holliday's second homer of the doubleheader, a two-run shot that drew Cortland within 8-6. 
 
Giordano and James Varian (Hopewell Junction/Trinity-Pawling) each drew a walk, and a wild pitch moved the runners to second and thrid. Coleman's walk loaded the bases, a wild pitch allowed a run to score to make it 8-7, and Nick Chemotti's (Warners/West Genesee) walk re-loaded the bases. Following a strikeout, the tying run scored on a passed ball, and with two outs Andrew Michalski (Buffalo/St. Francis) hit a two-run single to center to give Cortland a 10-8 lead. 
 
Oswego made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth with an Olsson leadoff single and a one-out Sam Allen walk. Will McCarthy (Farmingdale), who entered in relief for the Red Dragons in the sixth, secured the win with a flyout and a strikeout. McCarthy earned the win to improve to 3-0 on the year with three and two-thirds innings of four-hit shutout ball. He struck out two and walked two. 
 
Cortland starter Zack Durant (Verona/V-V-S) and Oswego starter Anthony Van Fossen matched zeroes for four and a half innings before Oswego broke through for six runs in the bottom of the fifth. The inning started with a hit batter and a throwing error on a bunt that allowed a run to score. Following a walk, a steal and an intentional walk, Lauria walked to force in a run and Olsson hit a grand slam. 
 
The Red Dragons responded with four runs in the top of the sixth. Holliday led off with a double, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Varian's groundout. Coleman followed with a double and scored on a Chemotti RBI single. Matthew Krafft (Cornwall) was hit by a pitch, pinch hitter Adam Mieczkowski (Vestal) walked and Michalski hit a two-run double to left center. 
 
Oswego picked up two runs in the bottom of the sixth on an unusual play. With one out, Tammaro singled and stole second and Enos and Lauria walked to load the bases. Cortland then got Olsson to hit a grounder to short. The Red Dragons thought they turned an inning-ending double play, but Olsson was called safe and during the play two runs scored. 
 
Michalski finished 2-for-5 with a double and four RBI, Coleman finished 3-for-4 with a walk, Holliday was 2-for-5 with a homer, double and two RBI, and Varian went 2-for-4 with a walk and RBI as part of Cortland's 11-hit attack. Olsson went 2-for-5 with the grand slam and six RBI, Tammaro was 2-for-2 with a walk and two RBI, and Julian Drew finished 2-for-4 as Oswego ended with 10 hits.