LEXINGTON, VA. –
Jake Casey (Homer) allowed one earned run in four innings of work and
Jon Warner (Tully) reached base four times and scored twice as nationally ranked Cortland defeated Washington & Lee University, 8-3, at the Generals' Dick Smith Field.
Cortland (11-2), which is ranked first nationally by the American Baseball Coaches Association and second by D3baseball.com, won its sixth straight game. W&L had a seven-game win streak snapped and is now 10-6 on the season.
Cortland's scheduled games Friday and Saturday versus New Paltz have been postponed due to the weather. The Red Dragons are attempting to schedule a non-league doubleheader Saturday versus Castleton University (Vt.) at a neutral site, most likely in Maryland. More details will be announced when the schedule is finalized. Cortland and Castleton met in the opening round of the NCAA Division III regionals two of the last two years.
UPDATE: Cortand and Castleton will play a doubleheader Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at Salisbury University.
Casey, the first of four predetermined Cortland hurlers, earned the win with four innings of six-hit ball. He gave up two runs, one earned, did not walk anyone, and recorded seven of Cortland's 12 strikeouts on the afternoon.
Andrew Barnes (Rochester, NH/Spaulding) pitched two frames and gave up two hits, one run and three walks with three strikeouts.
Jesse Winters (South Glens Falls/Saratoga Central Catholic) allowed one hit and fanned one batter in the seventh, and
Eric Sandusky (Stony Point/North Rockland) pitched two perfect innings with one strikeout to wrap up the game.
Warner finished 2-for-3 with a walk, hit-by-pitch, RBI and two runs scored.
Justin Teague (North Syracuse/Cicero-North Syracuse) went 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and two runs,
Paul Dondero (East Islip) was 2-for-4, and both
Steven Figueroa (Bronx/St. Raymond's) and
Nate Budge (Central Square/Paul V. Moore) finished 1-for-3 with a walk and RBI.
Ryan Weston led W&L with a 3-for-4 outing. He drove in one run. Austin Crane went 2-for-3 with a walk and Ryan Monson finished 2-for-4. Anderson Baldy started for the Generals and allowed four hits and six runs, but only one earned, in five innings. He struck out one and walked two. W&L's defense turned five double plays, although Cortland scored on two of those twin killings.
Cortland took a 3-0 lead in the second behind two errors, a Budge RBI infield single, and a double play grounder. W&L came back with two runs in the bottom of the frame as Cory Paton hit a sac fly, and a throwing error during the play allowed a second run to cross the plate.
The Red Dragons quickly answered with two runs in the third on a double play grounder and a Teague RBI single. The teams traded runs in the fifth – Cortland's on a Figueroa RBI infield single, and W&L's on a Weston RBI single.
