OSWEGO, N.Y. – Scott Giordano (Croton-on-Hudson/Croton-Harmon) went 3-for-4, including the go-ahead two-run single in the bottom of the seventh, as Cortland rallied from an early 4-0 deficit to defeat Brockport, 6-5, during the opening day of the 2022 SUNYAC Baseball Tournament at Oswego.
 
Second-seeded Cortland (31-10), ranked 12th nationally in Division III, advances to play top-seeded and 11th-ranked Oswego in a winner's bracket game of the double-elimination tournament Friday at 1 p.m., while third-seeded and 22nd-ranked Brockport (31-8) will play fourth-seeded Plattsburgh in an elimination game Friday at 10 a.m. The two teams with one loss after Friday's first two games will play at 4 p.m., and the championship round of the tournament is scheduled for Saturday.
 
Giordano became the eighth Cortland player in school history to reach the career 200-hit mark with a single in the third inning. He's currently at 202 hits in basically three seasons with the Red Dragons (2019-22, with the 2020 seasons ended early due to COVID-19).
 
Brockport took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first off Cortland starter Ryan Flansburg (Queensbury) on walks by James Houlahan and Ryan Mansell and Thomas Kretzler's three-run homer – his 14th of the season. The Golden Eagles added to their lead in the top of the second on a Mansell RBI fielder's choice with one out and the bases loaded.
 
Cortland got two runs back in the third. Mat Bruno (Rye) led off with his ninth homer of the season to make it 4-1. Matthew Krafft (Cornwall) tripled with one out when his fly ball was lost by the center fielder. Antonio Pragana (Hopewell Junction/John Jay) drove home Krafft with a groundout to short, although the Red Dragons eventually left the bases loaded.
 
Brockport left two runners on in the fourth and fifth innings before Cortland tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on Giordano's two-out single and Danny Coleman's (Saratoga Springs) two-run homer to center – his 11th round-tripper of the season.
 
The Golden Eagles regained the lead in the sixth. David Belsito walked and went to second on a passed ball. Belsito took third on a flyout to center, and Houlahan hit a sac fly to left off Cortland reliever Dylan Beers (Woodbury/Monroe-Woodbury) to put Brockport up 5-4.  Brockport threatened to extend its lead in the seventh, loading the bases on an error, a two-out single and a walk, but Beers fanned the next batter to escape harm.
 
Cortland took its lone lead of the game in the bottom of the seventh. Krafft drew a leadoff walk and Brockport reliever Matthew Colucci hit Pragana with a pitch. Andrew Michalski (Buffalo/St. Francis) bunted the runners to second and third and Giordano chopped a single through the left side to drive in two runs.
 
Mike Hennessy (Stony Brook/Smithtown East) entered to start the eighth and pitched the final two innings for his third save of the season. He retired the side in order in the eighth and allowed a Nicholas Pastore leadoff single in the ninth before retiring a flyout, a fielder's choice and another flyout to end the game.

Beers earned the victory to improve to 2-1 on the season. He gave up two hits and no runs with two strikeouts and a walk in two and a third innings. Flansburg settled down after his rough start and gave up five hits and four walks with four strikeouts along with five runs, four earned, in five and a third innings. Brockport starter Andrew Huffman took a no-decision after giving up seven hits and five runs in six-plus innings. He struck out five and walked two.