CORTLAND, N.Y. – Cortland advanced to the championship round of the SUNYAC Baseball Tournament with an 8-3 victory over Oswego in a winner's bracket game of the four-team, double-elimination tournament.
Cortland (33-9), ranked third nationally in Div. III, will face Oswego again Sunday at noon one win away from claiming the league title for the third straight season. If the Lakers win, a final championship game will follow at approximately 3:30 p.m.
Saturday's action began with fourth-seeded Fredonia eliminating second-seeded New Paltz, 6-4, followed by Cortland's win over Oswego. The third-seeded Lakers then defeated Fredonia, 9-8, with a three-run rally in the bottom of the ninth.
Senior
Kyle Barkley (Penn Yan) overcame a slow start to earn his seventh win in eight decisions this spring. He allowed three runs on three hits in the top of the first, but gave up only three more hits and no runs over the next six and two-thirds innings. He finished with five strikeouts, four walks and six hits allowed in seven and two-thirds innings.
Oswego, which will enter Sunday's action with a 25-14 mark, took its early lead on Brian Hamilton's three-run double in the first. Cortland got two runs back in the bottom of the frame on
Max Rosing's (Rockville Centre/South Side) two-run single.
Cortland took the lead in the fifth on Rosing's two-run, ground-rule double and
Anthony Iacomini's (South Salem/John Jay-Cross River) sacrifice fly. Iacomini hit another sac fly in the seventh to put Cortland ahead 6-3 and the Red Dragons added two in the eighth on a
Bryan Mistretta (Commack) RBI double and a
P.J. Rinaldi (Bethel, CT) bases-loaded hit-by-pitch.
Mistretta finished 4-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored and Rosing was 2-for-3 with four RBI, two hit-by-pitches and a run scored.
John Adornetto (Commack) was 2-for-2 with a double, walk, hit-by-pitch and two runs and
Zack Graczyk (Carmel) went 2-for-5 with two runs.
Hamilton was 2-for-4 with three RBI and was one of three Oswego players with multiple hits. Scott Buniak and Mike McMullen each finished 2-for-5. Adam Bishop pitched the first six innings and allowed 10 hits and six runs.
Box Score/Play-by-Play
Tournament Web Page
