CORTLAND, N.Y. – Cortland scored seven runs over the first four innings and the Red Dragons defeated visiting Vermont State University Castleton, 9-6, in non-league baseball action at Wallace Field. Cortland won its 11th straight game to improve to 17-8-1 on the season.
Mat Bruno (Rye) finished 3-for-4 with a triple, hit by pitch, two RBI and three runs scored. He is now tied for second with Matt June (2009-12) on Cortland's career charts with 227 hits; Andrew Mead (2003-06) is the leader with 235 hits. Bruno also increased his career total to 169 RBI, two shy of the school record of 171 set by Andersen Gardner (2007-10).
Nolan Smith (Hamburg) went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and two RBI.
Adam Mieczkowski (Vestal) was 1-for-2 with a hit by pitch and two runs, while
Luke Schartner (Bayport/Bayport-Blue Point) and
Zachary Kringdon (Larchmont/Mamaroneck) each went 1-for-2 with an RBI.
Matthew Nochowitz (Glen Head/North Shore) started and was awarded the win after allowing two runs on six hits over four and two thirds innings. He fanned three batters. Nochowitz, now 4-0, left in the fifth due to a predetermined pitch count with Cortland leading 7-2.
Mikey Wandell (Newark Valley), the last of Cortland's four relievers, entered in the seventh with two outs and a runner on and the Red Dragons up 7-4. He gave up one hit, four walks and two runs with four strikeouts over the final two and a third innings for the save.
Each team finished with 11 hits. Jackson Cardozo went 3-for-4 with a walk, three RBI and two runs and Jared Maher was 3-for-4 with a walk to lead the Spartans (3-21). Alexander Andrew ended 2-for-3 and Jared Cafasso was 1-for-2 with two RBI. Adam Winchell took the loss after allowing seven runs, four earned, in four innings. Michael Malloy tossed two perfect innings and Sean Lawrence and Ethan Nichols each allowed a run in one inning of work.
Castleton struck first with two in the top of the first inning. Maher singled with one out, Cardozo doubled and Cafasso hit a two-run single. Cortland picked up a run in the first when Bruno tripled with two outs and scored on a passed ball, and the Red Dragons added three unearned runs in the second on a one-out error, followed by a Kringdon RBI double, a
Nick Marola (Saratoga/Scotia-Glenville) double, a
Chris Bonacci (Syracuse/West Genesee) sac fly and a Schartner RBI single.
The Red Dragons put up three more runs in the fourth. Bonacci singled with one out, pinch hitter Mieczkowski was hit by a pitch and Bruno singled in a run. Smith followed with a two-run double to left center.
Castleton scored on a wild pitch in the sixth and on a Cardozo RBI single in the seventh to make it 7-4. Cortland answered with a
Dylan Tierney (East Greenbush/Columbia) RBI groundout in the seventh and a Bruno RBI single in the eighth to take a 9-4 lead, and the Spartans closed the scoring in the top of the ninth on Cardozo's two-out, two-run double.
