SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – Nationally fourth-ranked Trinity University scored twice in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat eighth-ranked Cortland, 9-8, in the season opener for both teams.

The teams were originally schedule to play a doubleheader Saturday, but weather forced the postponement of the second game. The Tigers and the Red Dragons will attempt to play a doubleheader Sunday at 10 a.m. (Central).

Cortland scored twice in the first and twice in the fourth to take a 4-0 lead. Trinity responded with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, tied the game with two in the sixth, and grabbed a 7-4 lead with three in the bottom of the seventh. The Red Dragons answered with four runs in the top of the eighth only to have Trinity rally for the win in the ninth.

Matt Valin (LaFargeville) started for Cortland and retired the first nine batters he faced before allowing a walk, single and RBI groundout to start the bottom of the fourth. He was charged with two runs, one earned, and struck out one. Dan Hobbs (Saratoga Springs) entered at that point and gave up two hits and two runs, one earned, with a walk and a strikeout in two and a third innings. Isiah Hudson (Hyde Park/FDR) gave up three hits and three runs, two earned, with two strikeouts and no walks in one inning. John Reda (Mahopac) took the loss after giving up three hits and two runs, one earned, with a walk and strikeout over an inning and two thirds. Four of Trinity's nine runs were unearned resulting from five Cortland errors.

Mark Tindall started for the Tigers and was tagged for five hits and four runs over three and two thirds innings. He fanned four and walked two. Brian Cardone pitched two and two thirds scoreless innings with just one hit allowed and one strikeout, although he walked three, and Corey Cater earned the win after throwing the final two and two thirds innings. He permitted two hits and one walk, struck out four and allowed four runs, two earned.

Wyatt Myers (Chittenango) was 2-for-3 with a double, walk, three RBI to lead the Cortland offense. Scott Giordano (Croton-on-Hudson/Croton-Harmon) was 2-for-4 with a double, walk, RBI and two runs and Paul Franzese (Somers) finished 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs.

Jake Martin finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored to account for a third of Trinity's nine hits. John Tucker went 2-for-5 with two RBI and Michael Goodrich doubled and drove home two.

Cortland took a 2-0 lead in the first on a Giordano double, a one-out Danny Coleman (Saratoga Springs) walk and a Marcos Perivolaris (Mattituck) two-run double. The lead grew to 4-0 in the fourth on RBI singles by Myers and Giordano.

Trinity's two-run fourth featured a Rafe Chaumette RBI groundout and a run that scored on a two-out error. Tucker's RBI single in the sixth made it 4-3. The next two batters reached on errors, the latter of which allowed the tying run to score. Cortland initially thought the third out of the inning was recorded, but the call was changed to indicate that a throw to first pulled the first baseman off the bag and the game was tied at 4-4.

Trinity scored its three runs in the seventh on Goodrich's two-out, two-run double and an error on the next ball put into play that allowed Goodrich to score. Cortland started the top of the eighth with a Franzese single and a Garrett Hunter (Virginia Beach, VA/Frank W. Cox) hit-by-pitch. Franzese took third on a wild pitch and Hunter stole second after a strikeout, and Myers drove them both in with a double to right. Giordano was intentionally walked with two outs and the next two batters reached on throwing errors by the second baseman – the first error allowed the tying run to score and the second gave Cortland the lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, Martin led off with a single and Chaumette walked. A bunt attempt resulted in a foul pop-up for the first out, but Tucker singled up the middle to drive home the tying run. With runners on first and third, Dalys Binder hit a fly ball that was dropped to allow Chaumette to score the winning run.