ITHACA, N.Y. – Cortland scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth to increase its lead to 7-1 and the Red Dragons held on late for an 8-6 win over SUNY Polytechnic at Hoy Field on the campus of Cornell University. The nationally second-ranked Red Dragons improved to 16-1 on the year and the Wildcats dropped to 4-7.

Freshman Justin Teague (Syracuse/Cicero-North Syracuse) went 1-for-2 with two RBI and a run for Cortland. Junior Fabio Ricci (Hawthorne/Westlake) went 2-for-3 with two doubles, a walk and three runs.

Cortland opened the scoring in the bottom of the second when Ricci and junior Austin Clock (Niskayuna) scored on a two-out dropped fly ball. Joshua Rodriguez answered for SUNY Poly with an RBI single in the top of the third to make the score 2-1.

Teague ignited the scoring in the fourth inning with a two-RBI single to left. Senior Vinny Bomasuto (Dunkirk) walked with the bases loaded, bringing home the third run of the inning, followed by an RBI fielder's choice by senior Anthony Simon (Suffern/Don Bosco Prep (NJ)). Senior Adam Smith (Vestal) closed out the scoring in the inning when he scored on a wild pitch. Bomasuto finished the game 1-for-2 with two walks.

SUNY Poly answered with three runs in the top on the fifth. Rodriguez had an RBI single and Gerald Milanes brought in two runs with a single to left. The Wildcats also scored a run in the sixth inning on a Raymond Smith RBI groundout to cut Cortland's lead to two. Smith finished 2-for-4 with a walk and RBI and Rodriguez was 2-for-5 with two RBI.

The teams traded runs in the eighth inning. Ryan Kelly had a sacrifice fly for SUNY Poly, but Cortland answered with an RBI single from junior Connor Griffin (Cortland).

Senior Zach Ferris (Stephentown/LaSalle Institute), the first of five pitchers for the Red Dragons in a predetermined rotation, earned the win. He gave up three hits, a walk, an earned run and struck out one. Junior Adam Brant (Staatsburg/Our Lady of Lourdes) pitched three innings, giving up two hits and an earned run while walking one and striking out one. In the ninth inning, junior Travis Laitar (Fergus, ON/Centre Wellington) struck out two and walked one on the way to his first save of the season.

Joseph Redmond started for the Wildcats and allowed seven runs (five earned) in four innings pitched. He walked four and struck out two. Sawyer Haney allowed only two hits, no walks and one run and struck out six in four innings of relief.

Cortland will face Brockport this weekend at Cornell in three SUNYAC games. Due to the weather forecast, the teams will now play a doubleheader Friday at 12:30 p.m. and a single game Sunday (time TBA). The original schedule had the teams playing one game Friday and two Saturday.

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