CORTLAND, N.Y. – Cortland rallied to win in its final at-bat twice as the Red Dragons swept visiting Brockport, 5-4 and 4-3, in a SUNYAC doubleheader. Cortland, ranked 23rd in the latest D3baseball.com poll and 19th in the current ABCA Div. III poll, improves to 11-5 overall and 3-0 in the league. Brockport, ranked 29th nationally by the ABCA and "also receiving votes" in the D3baseball.com rankings, is now 11-6 overall and 0-3 in the SUNYAC as Cortland defeated the Golden Eagles three times in two days.
Cortland won the nine-inning opener on junior Nick Thode's (Huntington Station/Walt Whitman) bases-loaded single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. In the seven-inning second game, sophomore John Adornetto (Commack) tied the game with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh and the winning run scored later in the inning on a wild pitch.
GAME 1: Cortland 5, Brockport 4
Cortland trailed 3-1 entering the bottom of the seventh inning but tied the game on RBI singles by sophomore Zack Graczyk (Carmel) and Adornetto. The Red Dragons grabbed a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth when freshman Adam Smith (Vestal) singled, stole second, went to third on a throwing error during the steal attempt and scored on a wild pitch.
Brockport tied the game in the top of the ninth. Tom McCormick (Utica/Utica-Notre Dame) led off with a single and pinch runner Mike DeGregory (Saratoga Springs/Schuylerville) moved to second on a Jake Coleman (Hilton) sacrifice. The next two batters walked and Mike Weakley (Liverpool) hit a sacrifice fly to center to plate the tying run.
Cortland's winning rally started with a Bryan Mistretta (Commack) walk and a Matt June (Colonie) bunt single that rolled dead just inside the third-base foul line. Graczyk bunted the runners to second and third and Adornetto was intentionally walked. Coleman, who entered the game to start the ninth, struck out the next batter before Thode hit a single to shallow right field to end the game.
Adornetto finished 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI, Smith went 2-for-4 and freshman Tim Panetta (Mount Kisco/Fox Lane) finished 2-for-5 with an RBI. Mistretta was 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored and Graczyk went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
For Brockport, Mike Goldstein (Slingerlands/Guilderland) finished 2-for-2 with a walk and a sacrifice. Max Zimmerman (East Amherst/Williamsville North) was 2-for-5 and Max Keado (Troy/Catholic Central) finished with a double, walk and two RBI.
Junior Peter Lompado (Staten Island/Shattuck-St. Mary's) earned the victory after pitching the final two-thirds of the top of the seventh. He allowed the Weakley sacrifice fly and a single that loaded the bases, but struck out the next hitter to keep the game tied. Travis Ratliff (Levittown/Division Avenue) started for Cortland and allowed seven hits and three runs in six and a third innings. He struck out seven and did not walk a batter.
Aaron Tilley (Troy) started for Brockport and gave up six hits and two walks in six and a third innings. He struck out two and allowed two runs. Coleman suffered the loss as the Golden Eagles' second reliever.
GAME 2: Cortland 4, Brockport 3
Cortland trailed 3-2 entering its last at-bat in the bottom of the seventh before rallying for the victory. Sophomore Matt Wild (Auburn) led off with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a June sacrifice bunt. After a strikeout for the second out, Adornetto singled down the right field line to tie the game.
Senior Dan Kaplan (Penfield) followed with a single through the left side. A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third and freshman P.J. Rinaldi (Bethel, CT) walked to load the bases. Pinch hitter Jeff Wiltsie (Oneonta) was at the plate with an 0-2 count when a Coleman wild pitch scored Adornetto from third with the winning run.
Brockport took a 1-0 lead in the first on a Zach Prentice (Auburn) RBI double and added a run in the fifth on a Zimmerman RBI single. Cortland tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on a June RBI groundout and a Smith RBI double.
In the top of the sixth, Corey Booth (Middletown/Minisink Valley) led off with a single and went to third on an Anthony Siracusa (Auburn) double. A fielder's choice grounder to short led to Booth being thrown out at home, but a Kyle Tracy (Plainview/Bethpage) grounder to second drove in Siracusa with the go-ahead run.
Rinaldi went 2-for-3 with a walk, Wild finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and Adornetto was 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Red Dragons. Senior Mike Assmann (Auburn) recorded the final two outs in the top of the seventh and earned the victory. Senior Michael Mahay (Whitesboro) started and allowed five hits and three walks in four and two-third innings. He struck out one and gave up two earned runs.
Booth finished 2-for-3 for the Golden Eagles. Mark Ciccotti (Breesport/Horseheads) started and allowed only two runs in five innings. He gave up six hits and a walk and struck out one. Coleman, Brockport's third reliever of the game, took the loss.