CORTLAND, N.Y. – Senior Matt June (Colonie) went 3-for-5 with four RBI to lead a 19-hit Cortland attack as the nationally seventh-ranked Red Dragons won their 14th straight game with a 15-5 victory over visiting New Paltz.
Cortland improved to 31-7-1 overall and finished the SUNYAC regular season with a 16-2 mark. The Red Dragons will wrap up the regular season by hosting Misericordia (Pa.) in a non-league game Tuesday at 4 p.m. and will host the four-team, double-elimination SUNYAC tournament Friday-Sunday, May 4-6. Cortland will open that tournament Friday versus Plattsburgh at noon.
Junior Mike Hughes (Albany) earned the win over New Paltz to improve to 7-2 on the season. He opened the game with five perfect innings, but was pulled after allowing four straight baserunners, including a leadoff Chris Paulicelli single, to start the sixth. Hughes eventually was charged with four runs on two hits and two walks and struck out five.
Cortland led 9-0 after four innings before New Paltz made things interesting wth five runs in the sixth. The Red Dragons scored two in the first on RBI singles by junior Michael LaTempa (LaGrangeville/Arlington) and sophomore P.J. Rinaldi (Bethel, CT) and once in the second on a June RBI groundout.
Cortland posted a five-run third inning that featured a Rinaldi RBI double, a Max Rosing (Rockville Centre/South Side) RBI single, a James Quinn (Guilderland) RBI fielder's choice, a Bryan Mistretta (Commack) run-scoring groundout and a June RBI single. Quinn also drove in a run with an infield single in the fourth.
New Paltz led off the sixth with the Paulicelli single and walks by Philip Parker and Mike Sherlock to load the bases. Paul Merola singled to drive in a run and knock out Hughes. Reliever Zachary Badanes (Syosset) struck out the first two batters he faced, but then allowed a David Lostaglio RBI infield single and bases-loaded walks to Billy Ruggiero and Steve Pinckney. Brendan Hourihan (Yorktown Heights/Lakeland) entered and walked Paulicelli to force in a run that cut Cortland's lead to 9-5. A lineout to short left the bases loaded.
The hosts responded with two runs in the sixth on a June two-out, two-run single, and Cortland concluded the scoring on a Kyle Barkley (Penn Yan) grand slam in the seventh. Barkley finished 2-for-2 with four RBI and two runs scored, Rinaldi was 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI and LaTempa went 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs.
In addition, Rosing, junior Mathew Wild (Auburn) and Chris Jackson (Wappingers Falls/Roy C. Ketcham) each went 2-for-3, with Rosing driving in a run, and Quinn was 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs.
James McKenna took the loss for New Paltz (18-21, 5-13 SUNYAC). He allowed eight runs, four earned, in two and a third innings.