CORTLAND, NY - The Cortland baseball team opened a three-game SUNYAC series against the Fredonia Blue Devils with a 13-3 win by the run-rule on Friday afternoon on Wallace Field. Cortland improves to 18-7-1 (10-0 SUNYAC) with its eighth consecutive victory, while Fredonia drops to 5-16 (4-4 SUNYAC).
 
Danny Jackson (Lagrangeville/Arlington) went 3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored, while Jack McFerran (Selkirk/Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk) was 3-for-5 with three RBI, two stolen bases, and a run scored. Lucas Granger (Horseheads) reached base in all five of his plate appearances, recording a double, three walks, a hit-by-pitch, two RBI, and two runs scored.
 
Talon Elkins (Syracuse/West Genesee) tossed 5.1 innings to earn the win, allowing three runs and striking out three batters. Joe Yovino (Levittown/Division Avenue) pitched the final 1.2 innings to record his first save of the year.
 
Andrew Tucker went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs for Fredonia. Starter Michael Byrns allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits over three innings and took the loss. Talfourd Wynne allowed just one run on one hit over 2.2 innings in relief for the Blue Devils.
 
Cortland scored a run in the first inning, and added three runs in the second inning and two more runs in the third inning, to take a 6-0 lead. Fredonia clawed back with three runs in the top of the sixth, but Cortland responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning. After shutting down the Blue Devils in order in the top of the seventh, the Red Dragons scored six runs, five of the six runs coming with two outs, to complete the run-rule win.
 
Cortland scored its first run when Granger was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Elkins, and came around to score on an RBI single by Tristan Gatchalian (Manorville/Eastport-South Manor).
 
In the second inning, Jackson drove in a pair of runners with a double down the right-field line, scoring McFerran and Logan Karwowski (Clay/Cicero-North Syracuse). Jackson was then brought home on a Granger double down the left-field line that landed just shy of the wall, making the score 4-0.
The scoring continued in the third inning on a two-run single to center by McFerran, driving in Karwowski and Anthony Carlo (North Bellmore/St. Anthony's) to extend the lead to 6-0.
 
Elkins was cruising on the mound through five innings, allowing just two singles, both by Tucker. However, the Blue Devils got to the Cortland starter in the sixth inning with four straight hits to open the frame to cut the lead to 6-2. Yovino entered to pitch in a save situation with two runners on and the potential tying run on deck, and got out of the inning with Cortland holding a 6-3 lead thanks to a strong defensive play by McFerran to gun down a runner attempting to advance to third for the second out and a fielder's choice one batter later.
 
Cortland scored a run in the bottom of the sixth to respond. Trey McGowan (Blue Point/Bayport-Blue Point) led off with a double and eventually scored on a fielder's choice by Carlo to push the lead to 7-3.
 
In the seventh inning, the Red Dragons put the game away with a six-run rally. Jackson opened the inning with a check-swing single up the middle, and Nicholas Plue (Schenectady/Guilderland) followed with a perfectly placed bunt single that froze the defense. McGowan walked to load the bases, and Granger drew another walk to bring in a run. Gatchalian added a sacrifice fly, and Carlo followed with an RBI single to make the score 10-3.
 
The scoring continued, as McFerran hit an infield single to score Granger. Jackson then came up for the second time in the inning and delivered a two-run single to right-center, ending the game at 13-3 due to the SUNYAC run rule.
 
The teams will conclude the three-game series with a doubleheader at Wallace Field on Saturday starting at 12 p.m.