UNION, N.J. - The Cortland baseball team finished in second place at the Union, N.J. NCAA Division III Regional after losing to host Kean University, 4-3, in the championship round.
 
Cortland, the second seed at the regional and ranked 19th nationally by D3baseball.com and 25th by the ABCA, needed to beat the top-seeded Cougars twice on Sunday to win the regional. Kean (38-8), the top seed and ranked ninth by D3baseball.com and eighth by the ABCA, advances to next weekend's super regional versus Salve Regina at a site to be announced.
 
Cortland (31-13) was making its 32nd straight NCAA playoffs, extending its Division III record for longest playoff streak. Of those 32 regionals, Cortland advanced to the regional final 25 times (16 wins, nine runner-up finishes). The Red Dragons officially finish tied for 17th nationally with their second-place finish.
 
Cortland trailed 3-0 after six innings but rallied to within a run twice. In the top of the seventh, Dylan Tierney (East Greenbush/Columbia) led off with a single and, with one out, Nick Marola (Saratoga/Scotia-Glenville) hit a two-run homer to make it 3-2. Down 4-2 in the ninth, Cortland cut the deficit to one on Adam Mieczkowski's (Vestal) one-out solo homer. Marola followed with a double to left center, and Talon Elkins (Syracuse/West Genesee) hit a sinking liner to center. Kean center fielder Kyle Adorno, however, was able to make the catch and doubled up Marola at second to end the game.
 
Kean went up 2-0 in the fourth on a John Chiusano two-run double, and the Cougars added a run in the fifth on a Chiusano sacrifice fly as he finished the game with three RBI. Kean added what proved to be a vital insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on a two-out RBI single by Adorno.
 
Christian Pareja started for Kean and improved to 5-1 after allowing two runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and a walk in six and a third innings. Cal Chase allowed the Mieczkowski homer in the ninth, and Jason Basillcata entered at that point and gave up the Marola double before getting the game-ending double play for his ninth save. CJ Tomalavage finished 3-for-4 with a hit by pitch and Dan Reistle went 2-for-4 for the Cougars.
 
Cortland starter Brady Mazzeo gave up three runs on seven hits in four and two thirds innings to take the loss. He struck out four and walked four. Ryan Banks (Woodbury/Syosset) gave up one hit and no runs in an inning and two thirds and Will McCarthy (Farmingdale) allowed two hits and a run in an inning and a third. They each struck out one batter and walked one. Lawrence Citrola (East Northport/Northport) entered with runners on first and second and two outs in the eighth with Kean up 4-2. He hit a batter but recovered to get a lineout to first to contain the threat.
 
Marola finished 3-for-4 with a homer, double and two RBI, Tierney went 2-for-4 with a run scored, and Lucas Granger (Horseheads) finished 2-for-4. Luke Schartner (Bayport/Bayport-Blue Point) drew two walks. Elkins finished 0-for-5 to snap his 25-game hitting streak, the second-longest in school history. Craig Kerner set the school record at 26 games in 1998 - both Kerner and Elkins fashioned their streaks during their freshman seasons.