CORTLAND, N.Y. - The Cortland baseball team scored eight runs over its final four offensive innings and the Red Dragons defeated visiting New Paltz, 9-4, in a SUNYAC contest.
 
Cortland improved to 24-11 overall and leads the SUNYAC with a 14-3 record. The Red Dragons can clinch the league's regular-season title with a win at Canton Sunday in its final conference game, or through other scenarios depending on the results of Oswego's and New Paltz's weekend games (three-game series at Canton and Oneonta, respectively). Cortland will host Marywood University in a non-league game Wednesday at 4 p.m.
 
New Paltz fell to 23-13 overall and 11-4 in the league. The Hawks are currently tied with Oswego for second place in the SUNYAC standings.
 
Marc Stockhausen (Bronx/St. Raymond) finished 3-for-4 with a homer, hit by pitch, four RBI and two runs scored and Zachary Kringdon (Larchmont/Mamaroneck) was 3-for-5 with two RBI. Talon Elkins (Syracuse/West Genesee) finished 2-for-4 with hit by pitch, RBI and three runs and extended his hitting streak to 17 games.
 
Lucas Granger (Horseheads) went 2-for-4 with a double and Nolan Smith (Hamburg) was 2-for-4 with a walk. Chris Bonacci (Syracuse/West Genesee) finished 1-for-3 with a walk, hit by pitch and RBI. Cortland finished the game with 14 hits.
 
Nick Jessen (Syracuse/West Genesee) tossed the first four innings and gave up three hits, four walks and no runs. He struck out one batter. Ryan Banks (Woodbury/Syosset) went one and a third innings and allowed three runs. He was the pitcher of record when Cortland took the lead for good and was awarded the victory. Nick Hanson (Ladera Ranch, CA/Aliso Niguel) pitched the final three and two thirds innings for his second save of the season. He allowed just one unearned run on four hits with four strikeouts and no walks.
 
Fabian Apicella went 4-for-4 and Tommy Kreider finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored for New Paltz. Dillon Ristano hit a three-run homer. Matt Sarni started and gave up four runs, but just one earned, over five innings. He walked two and struck out three and took the loss.
 
New Paltz threatened in the top of the third, loading the bases with no outs on walks by Sarni and Anthony Pericolosi and a Kreider single. Jessen, however, got the next batter to ground back to him for a 1-2-3 double play, and the next batter fouled out to end the inning and keep the game scoreless.
 
Cortland scored in the third when Elkins reached second on an error and scored on Stockhausen's RBI single. New Paltz, however, grabbed the lead in the top of the fifth. With one out, Pericolosi walked and Kreider singled, and with two outs Ristano hit a three-run homer to left to make it 3-1.
 
Cortland regained the lead with three in the bottom of the fifth. Elkins bunted for a hit and Stockhausen singled to put runners on first and second. Smith bunted and the New Paltz throw to third trying to force Elkins was wild, allowing Elkins to score and putting runners on second and third. Two batters later Kringdon hit a two-run single and Cortland led 4-3.
 
The lead grew to 8-3 in the bottom of the sixth. Granger led off with a double and was bunted to third by Nick Marola (Saratoga/Scotia-Glenville). Bonacci hit an RBI single to right center, Elkins was hit by a pitch, and Stockhausen greeted a New Paltz reliever with a three-run homer to left - his eighth round-tripper of the season.
 
New Paltz got a run back in the seventh on a Kreider two-out single, a Michael Ascanio single and a passed ball. Cortland closed the scoring in the bottom of the seventh when Marola doubled, took third on a passed ball and scored on an Elkins single.