BALTIMORE, MD. – Nationally 10th-ranked Cortland split two games during the first day of the Baltimore Invitational, hosted by Johns Hopkins University. The Red Dragons scored three in the top of the eighth and defeated Rutgers-Camden, 4-3, but relinquished a 4-0 lead to the host Blue Jays after a six-run bottom of the fifth and lost, 7-5.

Cortland (3-3-1) and Johns Hopkins (4-1) will meet again Sunday at 10:30 a.m. to conclude the tournament. JHU defeated Rutgers-Camden, 7-3, prior to its win over Cortland.

Cortland 4, Rutgers-Camden 3

The game shaped up for more than half the distance as a pitchers' duel between Cortland starter Nick Morena (Holbrook/Sachem North) and Rutgers-Camden starter Ian Scheidemann, a second team All-American last season. Morena allowed no runs on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts through five innings. Scheidemann gave up just one run on two hits and two walks with six strikeouts over seven frames.

Cortland got a run in the top of the first when Scott Giordano (Croton-on-Hudson/Croton-Harmon) led off the game with a triple and scored on a one-out Danny Coleman (Saratoga Springs) sacrifice fly. Camden had a good shot to tie the game in the fifth but had a runner thrown out at home trying to score from second on a single on a relay from left fielder Colin BeVard (Syracuse/West Genesee) to third baseman Coleman to catcher James Varian (Hopewell Junction/Trinity-Pawling).

The Raptors finally broke through for three runs in the bottom of the seventh to take a 3-1 lead. With one out, Billy Eisler was hit by a pitch and John Guccione hit a game-tying RBI double down the right field line. A fielder's choice on a bunt resulted in an out at third, but R.J. Concepcion hit a two-run homer to right center to put Camden on top.

Cortland's winning rally in the top of the eight started with BeVard drawing a one-out walk. With two outs, pinch hitter Mat Bruno (Rye) hit an RBI double to right center, followed by a game-tying RBI single from Marcos Perivolaris (Mattituck) and a go-ahead RBI single from Varian.

The Red Dragons got out of Camden's bottom of the eighth with no real issues, but things got interesting in the Raptors' final at-bat in the ninth. Eisley led off with an infield single, was bunted to second by Guccione, and took third on a groundout. Cortland elected to intentionally walk Concepcion, who finished the day 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBI. Concepcion stole second, prompting another intentional walk to Matthew Stoots to load the bases. Mitchell Cavanagh (Oneida), who pitched the final two and a third innings, struck out the next batter to end the game.

Cavanagh earned the win to improve to 2-0 on the season as he was the pitcher of record when Cortland took the lead in the eighth. He gave up just one hit, struck out two and walked three – two intentionally – and did not allow any runs. Daniel Beebe, Camden's second reliever, suffered the loss after giving up one run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout over the final inning and a third.

Camden (0-2 after its loss to Hopkins) outhit Cortland, 10-5, and each team drew four walks. The Raptors made five errors, but none of Cortland's runs benefitted from those misplays.

Johns Hopkins 7, Cortland 5

Cortland lost to the Blue Jays despite Red Dragon pitchers allowing only three hits and striking out 17 batters. Cortland, however, also issued 11 walks and committed three errors, with only three of the Blue Jays' seven runs being earned.

Cortland took a 3-0 lead in the third. Paul Franzese (Somers) led off with a single and eventually scored on an error two batters later. Giordano doubled with one out and Wyatt Myers (Chittenango) hit a two-run single. Bruno's solo homer with one out in the top of the fourth extended the Red Dragon lead to 4-0.

Hopkins scored six times in the bottom of the fifth behind two hits, five walks and an error. The first three batters reached via base on balls and Brad Parsons hit a sac fly to center. Mike Eberle drove in a run with an RBI single and, with two outs, Frank Clara hit an RBI double down the left field line. Cortland looked like it would escape the inning leading 4-3, but a misplayed pop-up in the infield let two runs score to put JHU up 5-4. The hosts scored their final run of the inning after a hit batter and two walks, the latter a bases-loaded free pass to Matt Ritchie.

The Blue Jays added a run in the bottom of the seventh without a hit as AJ King walked, stole second with one out, and scored when the ball was thrown away from first base trying to get King out at third after a grounder.

Myers hit a solo homer to lead off the top of the eighth to cut Cortland's deficit to 7-5. Perivolaris bunted for a single, but reliever Seamus Ryan-Johnson entered and induced a double play grounder. Cortland still got a runner to third in the inning on a Bruno single, a steal and a wild pitch, but a strikeout ended the threat. Ryan-Johnson struck out the side in order in the ninth to earn the save.

Matt Valin (LaFargeville) started for Cortland and struck out nine batters while allowing one hit over the first four innings. Valin, however, was pulled after walking the first two batters in the fifth. He ended up allowing five walks and two runs. Isiah Hudson (Hyde Park/FDR) took the loss after being charged with three runs, one earned, in the fifth. The Red Dragons' final three relievers allowed no hits and two unearned runs over a combined three and a third innings, but did walk five batters. Of those pitchers, Jake Casey (Homer) struck out two and walked two in an inning and a third and Chris Puzakulics (Vestal) struck out four batters and walked one over the final inning and two thirds.

Jack Bunting started for Hopkins and gave up four runs, two earned, on six hits in five innings. He struck out six and did not walk anyone and earned the win. Jonah Offman gave up three hits and a run with two strikeouts in two innings. For the game, Hopkins' pitchers struck out 12 batters and did not issue a walk.

Giordan, Myers, Perivolaris and Bruno each went 2-for-4, with Myers driving home three runs. Eberle was 2-for-3 with two walks and Ritchie walked three times to lead Hopkins.