CORTLAND, N.Y. – Adam Mieczkowski (Vestal) tied the game with a two-run double in the bottom of the seventh and singled home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth as Cortland defeated Brockport, 5-4, in the first of a three-game SUNYAC baseball series at Wallace Field.
 
Cortland (13-8-1, 7-0 SUNYAC) won its seventh straight game. The Red Dragons and the Golden Eagles (13-5, 3-1 SUNYAC) will play a doubleheader at Cortland Sunday at noon.
 
Cortland's winning rally started when Dylan Mackenzie (Canandaigua/Canandaigua Academy) was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the ninth. Pinch runner Luke Schartner (Bayport/Bayport-Blue Point) moved to second on a wild pitch and pinch hitter Danny Jackson (Lagrangeville/Arlington) was intentionally walked after working a 3-0 count. Mieczkowski lined a 2-2 pitch to left for a single to bring home Schartner.
 
Cortland led 1-0 in the first when Mieczkowski singled with one out and eventually scored on a two-out Chris Bonacci (Syracuse/West Genesee) single up the middle. Bonacci finished 3-for-5 with an RBI. Brockport grabbed a 2-1 lead in the fifth. Nick Mahar led off with a homer to right to tie the game. Steven Ciancio singled, was bunted to second by Logan Wing and scored on a Josh Indek single through the left side. The Golden Eagles had an earlier chance to tie the game in the second but had a runner thrown out at home trying to score from second on a hit by left fielder Mat Bruno (Rye).
 
Nolan Smith (Hamburg) tied the game for the Red Dragons with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the fifth. Smith ended the game 2-for-3 with a homer, two walks and two runs scored. In the top of the seventh, Mahar led off with a single and Ciancio doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs. Matthew Nochowitz (Glen Head/North Shore) entered in relief and struck out the first batter he faced. Indek then hit a chopper to the mound that Nochowitz leapt and stabbed. His throw home, however, was wild as Mahar scored, and the error allowed Ciancio to score as well to give Brockport a 4-2 lead. Mahar and Ciancio each went 3-for-4 with two runs scored to account for six of Brockport's eight hits.
 
Cortland responded immediately with two runs to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh. Smith led off with a single and JJ DeLawder (Hyde Park/Franklin D. Roosevelt) walked with one out. Smith and pinch runner Jon Munoz (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) moved to third and second on a balk and Mieczkowski followed with a two-run double to center. Mieczkowski finished 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI.
 
Luis Misla (Tampa, FL/Riverview) started for Cortland and allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits in six-plus innings. He struck out eight and walked two. Nochowitz went the rest of the way for his third win in as many decisions this spring. He gave up only one hit and no runs in three innings with three strikeouts and no walks. After the Indek fielder's choice that gave Brockport the lead, Nochowitz retired seven straight batters before allowing a two-out single by Wing in the ninth, but Wing was thrown out by Zachary Kringdon (Larchmont/Mamaroneck) trying to steal to end the inning.
 
Brockport starter Ryan Peters allowed seven hits and two runs in five innings. He struck out four and walked two. Anthony Lapine gave up two runs in two and two thirds innings. Eric Servellon entered in the eighth with a runner on first and one out and got out of trouble, but he took the loss after allowing the run in the ninth.