February 18, 2024

No. 2 Salisbury Baseball holds on to sweep No. 10 Cortland, 10-7

Batting

Cortland
2B: JJ DeLawder
3B: Mat Bruno
HR: Nolan Smith
Salisbury
2B: Andrew Kell; Alex Craig; Max Ehrhardt
3B: Alex Craig
HR: none
full stats

SALISBURY, Md. – The second-ranked Salisbury University baseball team finished off a statement weekend by holding on to beat the 10th-ranked Cortland Red Dragons, 10-7, securing the three-game series sweep on Sunday afternoon at Donnie Williams Sea Gull Baseball Stadium.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

  • The Red Dragons landed the opening salvo with an unearned run in the top of the first inning. Jon Munoz drew a one-out walk, then after a sac bunt Nick Chemotti hit a grounder that ate up the second baseman, allowing Munoz to score to make it 1-0.
  • In the top of the third, Logan Karwowski led off with a single and advanced to second on a throwing error at short. Mat Bruno then singled Karwowski home with two out to double the Cortland lead, 2-0.
  • The Sea Gulls got that run back in the bottom of the third. Alex Craig tucked a triple inside the right field foul pole, and Max Ehrhardt brought him home with an RBI groundout to get SU within 2-1.
  • Nolan Smith walloped a solo home run to lead off the top of the fifth and reinforce the Red Dragon lead, 3-1.
  • Salisbury turned the game on its head in the home fifth. Adam Tommer singled with one out and Craig doubled to put men on second and third. Ehrhardt in turn ripped a double to left, scoring both runners to tie it at 3-3.
  • After a walk to Mickey Haynes, Kyle Brex tagged a single into right that got under the right fielder's glove and rolled all the way to the wall, allowing two runs to score and Brex to move all the way to third. Following an intentional walk to Danny Sheeler, Ben Anderson lashed a base hit into left to score Brex and make it 6-3 SU on a five-run fifth.
  • The Sea Gulls manufactured a pair of runs in the sixth. Tommer legged out an infield single, moved up to third on two groundouts, and scored on a wild pitch. After working three walks to load the bases, Ben Anderson was plunked to force in a run and make it 8-3.
  • With men on the corners and two out in the seventh, Andrew Kell ripped a pinch-hit two-run double to left to get SU into double digits, 10-3.
  • Cortland muscled its way back into the game in the top of the eighth. With the bases loaded and no out after three walks, Mat Bruno hit into an RBI groundout. A hit batsman loaded the bases again and Nick Plue brought home another on a fielder's choice to third. JJ DeLawder followed with a two-run pinch-hit double to right to bring the Red Dragons within 10-7.
  • Cortland threatened to plate even more in the eighth, loading the bases with two out, but Shawn Rosemond struck out Mitchell Kelly to escape further damage. Rosemond then put up a zero in the ninth to lock down the sweep.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

  • Max Ehrhardt provided a spark from the bottom of the lineup, going 1-for-4 with a double, run, and three RBIs.
  • Alex Craig finished a homer shy of the cycle, batting 3-for-4 with a double, triple, and three runs scored.
  • Adam Tommer went 2-for-4 with two runs scored; combined with Craig and Ehrhardt, the bottom three in the Sea Gull batting order finished 6-for-12 with three RBIs and six runs scored.
  • Mickey Haynes went 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored from the leadoff slot.
  • Andrew Kell managed a pinch-hit two-run double.
  • Aidan Brinsfield (1-0) earned a win in his collegiate debut for the Sea Gulls. Brinsfield, a Salisbury native and Parkside graduate, lasted five innings in the start, giving up three runs (one earned) on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
  • Shawn Rosemond pitched a second straight day and nailed down his first save, putting up an inning and a third scoreless and striking out two.
  • With a three-game sweep, Salisbury has now won five straight games against Cortland dating back to last season and eight of the last 10 matchups since 2020.

CORTLAND GAME NOTES

  • Mat Bruno finished 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs in the three-hole for the Red Dragons.
  • Nolan Smith went 2-for-4 with a solo home run.
  • JJ DeLawder brought a big hit off the bench again, smacking a pinch-hit two-run double.
  • Luis Misla (0-1) endured the loss after 4.1 innings of four-run, five-hit ball with no walks and six punchouts.

UP NEXT

  • The Sea Gulls will travel to First National Bank Field in Greensboro, N.C., to play in the D3 Showcase against three top-25 foes on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
  • SU will battle the sixth-ranked reigning national champion Lynchburg on Friday at 4:45 p.m., followed by 16th-ranked Denison on Saturday at 6 p.m. and eighth-ranked Marietta on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 197 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.