PORT CHARLOTTE, FLA. – Cortland opened its SUNYAC schedule with a doubleheader sweep of New Paltz, 16-2 and 6-1, at the North Charlotte Regional Park.
 
The Red Dragons (13-1, 2-0 SUNYAC) were playing conference games in Florida for what is believed to be the first time in school history. The teams will complete their three-game set with a single game 11 a.m. Saturday. Cortland is ranked third nationally by D3baseball.com and second by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
 
Junior second baseman Connor Griffin (Cortland) finished the doubleheader a combined 5-for-6 with four RBI and three runs scored and also reached base two other times via a hit-by-pitch and walk. Junior Brandon Serio (Bedford Hills/Fox Lane) earned the win in the opener and senior Brandon McClain (Coram/Longwood) won the nightcap and are both 2-0 on the season.
 
GAME 1: Cortland 16, New Paltz 2 (Box Score)
 
Cortland scored eight runs in the top of the first off New Paltz starter Brian LoRusso, all after the first two batters of the game were retired, and never looked back in the nine-inning opener. Big plays in the inning included an Austin Clock (Niskayuna) RBI single, a Griffin hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded, a Matthew Michalski (Buffalo/St. Francis) two-run single, and RBI singles by Justin Teague (Syracuse/Cicero-North Syracuse), Donny Castaldo (Mount Kisco/Fox Lane) and Fabio Ricci (Hawthorne/Westlake).
 
Griffin singled in a run in the fifth to extend the lead to 9-0. New Paltz got on the board in the sixth  on a Mike Sparacino sac fly, but the Red Dragons tallied twice in the seventh on back-to-back doubles by Vinny Bomasuto (Fredonia) and Anthony Simon (Suffern/Don Bosco Prep (NJ)), followed two batters later by a Paul Dondero (Islip Terrace/East Islip) RBI groundout.
 
Ricci hit an RBI single and Griffin plated a run with a sac fly during a four-run eighth, and Ricci hit a sac fly to drive home a run in the ninth. New Paltz's other run was the result of Tom Read RBI triple in the bottom of the eighth.
 
Five Red Dragons finished with multiple hits. Griffin was 2-for-3 with three RBI and a hit-by-pitch and Ricci went 2-for-5 with three RBI. Bomasuto was 2-for-3 with a double, walk and three runs scored, while Simon and Teague each finished 2-for-3 with an RBI. Patrick Schetter (Beacon) came off the bench to go 1-for-2 with a triple, hit-by-pitch and two runs.
 
Serio threw six and a third innings for the victory. He allowed one unearned run on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Jesse Winters (Saratoga Springs/Saratoga Central Catholic) gave up a run on two hits and struck out three in an inning and two thirds and Patrick Healy (Massapequa) allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth frame.
 
GAME 2: Cortland 6, New Paltz 1 (Box Score)
 
McClain tossed six innings in the seven-inning second game for the win. He allowed only two hits and one walk and fanned six. Tyler Brien (Ilion) retired the side in order with a strikeout in the seventh. Cortland retired 15 straight Hawks to end the game – 12 by McClain after allowing a Anthony Pantano leadoff single in the third in addition to Brien's three outs.
 
Cortland took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Castaldo hustled to turn an apparent single up the middle into a double to lead off the inning. He moved to third on a Ricci bunt, and scored on an error during the play.
 
New Paltz tied the game in the bottom of the first. Richard Guido walked and Tyler Bell bunted for a single, with Guido taking third after an error. Stanley DeLaCruz drove in the run with a fielder's choice grounder.
 
The Red Dragons broke the tie in the fourth. Michalski led off with a triple and Griffin chopped a single to third to drive in the run. Griffin took second on a wild pitch and scored later in the inning on a throwing error as the Hawks tried to complete an inning-ending double play.
 
Cortland picked up two more runs in the sixth. Grififn hit a leadoff double, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a Castaldo sac fly. Ricci then tripled to right center and scored on a error on a ball hit by Bomasuto. Schetter doubled in Cortland's final run in the seventh.
 
Griffin ended 3-for-3 with a double, walk, RBI and two runs. Schetter went 2-for-4 with a double and RBI as the starting designated hitter and Castaldo went 1-for-1 with a double, two walks and a sac fly in four plate appearances.
 
Brian Solomon started for the New Paltz (3-9, 0-2 SUNYAC) and allowed nine hits and five runs, two earned, over five and two thirds innings. He struck out five and walked two.