CORTLAND, N.Y. – Ben Rhodes (Amsterdam) hit a walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift Cortland past Plattsburgh, 3-2, in the second game of a SUNYAC East doubleheader. The Red Dragons won the nine-inning opener, 18-4, behind the strength of a 12-run first inning. 
 
Cortland (17-3, 8-0 SUNYAC East) has won 12 straight games. The Red Dragons will host Oneonta in a league doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. 
 
Cortland 18, Plattsburgh 4 
 
Cortland erased an early 1-0 deficit by sending 17 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first. Cortland's 12 runs were the most the Red Dragons have scored in an inning since a 13-run frame versus Arcadia in 2017. Cortland added two runs in the second and three in the third to extend the margin to 17-1. 
 
Daniel Coleman (Saratoga Springs) finished 3-for-3 with a homer, two doubles and seven RBI – the most RBI by a Cortland player in a game since Tyler Phillips drove in eight runs versus Keystone in a 2017 NCAA playoff game. Scott Giordano (Croton-on-Hudson/Croton-Harmon) went 2-for-4 with a double, walk, four RBI and two runs and Matthew Krafft (Cornwall) was 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and three runs. 
 
Paul Franzese (Somers) ended 2-for-3 with a double, walk and three RBI. James Varian (Hopewell Junction/Trinity-Pawling) was 2-for-3 with two RBI, Rhodes reached base three times on a double and two walks and had an RBI and two runs scored. 
 
Zack Durant (Verona/V-V-S) improved to 5-0 with the victory, but did allow his first runs of the season. He gave up an unearned run in the first on a Stephen Bryant infield single, a sac bunt, a groundout and an error, and he was touched for three earned runs in the fourth on a Conner Gonzalski two-run double and a wild pitch. Durant allowed four hits and one walk in five innings with six strikeouts. 
 
Will McCarthy (Farmingdale) tossed three scoreless innings of relief, giving up just two hits, striking out three and walking none. Triston Olmo (Ardsley) struck out one batter in a hitless and scoreless ninth. 
 
Bryant was 2-for-4 and Gonzalski finished 1-for-4 with two RBI for the Cardinals. Plattsburgh starter Pierce Steinberg was knocked out in the first after allowing five hits and six runs. Garrett Engstrom, the Cardinals' second reliever in the inning, went the rest of the way on the mound and gave up six runs on 11 hits over seven and two thirds innings. 
 
Cortland's 12-run first featured a pair of Coleman two-run doubles along with a Varian two-run single. Giordano also drove home two in the inning on an RBI double and a bases-loaded walk. Giordano added a two-run single in the second, and Coleman hit a three-run homer in the third. Colin BeVard (Syracuse/West Genesee) plated the Red Dragons' final run with an RBI single in the sixth. 
 
Cortland 3, Plattsburgh 2 (8 inn.) 

The second game featured a pitching battle between Cortland's Shane Mugnolo (Howard Beach/Xaverian) and Plattsburgh's Matt Triola. Mugnolo allowed four hits and two runs, one earned, in five and two thirds innings with five strikeouts and one walk. Triola went the distance for the Cards, scattering 10 hits and giving up three runs, two earned, in seven and a third innings. He struck out four and didn't walk anyone. 
 
Plattsburgh took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Cody Peryea walked with one out and went to third on a Zachary Stone single. Stone stole second, and a throwing error on the play allowed Peryea to score. 
 
Cortland knotted the game in the third. Andrew Michalski (Buffalo/St. Francis) led off with a single and stole second with one out. With two outs, Giordano hit a ball just to the right of second base. Plattsburgh second baseman Andrew Veit made a diving stop, but was unable to make a throw, and on the play Michalski kept running and just beat the throw home. 
 
The guests quickly responded when Jacob Hutton hit a two-run homer to left in the top of the fourth to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead. It stayed that way until the bottom of the sixth. BeVard beat out an infield single to start the inning and was bunted to second by Rhodes. With two outs, Varian reached on a throwing error after a grounder to second and BeVard came around to score to tie the game at 2-2. Cortland had a chance to take the lead when Mat Bruno (Rye) followed with a double down the right field line, but Varian was thrown out at home to end the inning. 
 
Liam Krasney (Greenville) had relieved Mugnolo in the top of the sixth and got a groundout on a diving play by Coleman at third to escape a first-and-second jam. Krasney retired the side in order in the seventh, but in the eighth walked Peryea to start the inning. Stone bunted Peryea to second, and Bailey Gauthier (Camillus/West Genesee) entered and quickly got the next batter to foul out to first for the second out. After an intentional walk to Steve Messerschmitt, Aaron Roman to load the bases. Hutton then hit a chopper partially down the third base line. Gauthier fielded the ball and was able to throw out Hutton at first to end the inning. 
 
Giordano singled to left to open the decisive bottom of the eighth. With one out, Rhodes hit a ball into the right-center gap. Centerfielder Erik Matz laid out to attempt a diving catch but was unable to come up with the ball, and Giordano raced around the bases and scored easily to win the game. 
 
Varian was 2-for-3 and Giordano and BeVard each finished 2-for-4 for Cortland. Roman went 1-for-2 with two walks and Peryea also walked twice for Plattsburgh (3-9, 2-6 SUNYAC East).