TROY, N.Y. - The Cortland baseball team posted a non-league doubleheader sweep at RPI, rallying for four runs over the final two innings in a 9-6 victory in Game 1 and jumping out to a 7-1 lead after three innings on the way to a 12-3 win in Game 2.
 
Cortland improved to 23-8-1 with the wins, while RPI dropped to 18-13. Cortland travels to Oswego for a SUNYAC contest Tuesday at 3 p.m.
 
Two of the top teams in New York over the past four decades, Cortland and RPI had met 40 times previously, all since 1990, but hadn't played since two meetings at the 2015 NCAA Division III regionals.
 
Cortland 9, RPI 6
 
Warren Miller (Plattsburgh) started for Cortland and allowed one hit and one run with five strikeouts and two walks in four and a third innings before being pulled. He received a no-decision as RPI scored four times in the fifth to tie the game.
 
Tommy Lynch (West Seneca/Canisius), Cortland's third reliever, earned the win. He entered in the sixth inning and gave up one run and no hits with two strikeouts and no walks in two and a third innings. Joe Yovino (Levittown/Division Avenue) recorded his second save after giving up just one hit in a scoreless ninth inning.
 
Cortland finished with 12 hits, led by Talon Elkins (Syracuse/West Genesee) who went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk, three RBI and two runs. Jack Lawless (Rome/Rome Free Academy) was 2-for-2 with a walk and RBI, Nicholas Plue (Schenectady/Guilderland) went 2-for-4 with a homer and walk, and Jack McFerran (Selkirk/Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk) was 2-for-5 with a homer and two runs. Also for the Red Dragons, Danny Jackson (Lagrangeville/Arlington) finished 2-for-5 and Trey McGowan (Blue Point/Bayport-Blue Point) walked twice, drove in a run and scored twice.
 
For RPI, Charlie Morse went 2-for-5 with three RBI and Andrew Crux was 2-for-5 with a triple and two RBI. Starter Liam Riordan gave up four runs, three earned, in three innings. The Engineers' third reliever, Sam Ferrier, was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs in one inning.
 
Cortland built a 4-0 lead with single runs in each of the first four innings. In the first, McGowan and Elkins pulled off a double steal of third and second, with a throwing error on the play allowing McGowan to score. Plue led off the top of the second with a homer, Logan Karwowski (Clay/Cicero-North Syracuse) drove in a run with a groundout in the third, and McGowan's groundout brought in a run in the fourth.
 
RPI tied the game with four runs in the bottom of the fifth with a Walker Abdallah and Charlie Lapp double steal of second and home, a Morse RBI single and Crux's two-out, two-run triple. Cortland re-gained the lead in the sixth on an Elkins two-out RBI single, but in the bottom of the inning Morse hit a two-run single and RPI took its first lead of the game at 6-5.
 
The game remained 6-5 until the top of the 8th. McGowan was hit by a pitch with one out and Lucas Granger (Horseheads) reached on an infield single. Elkins followed with a two-run double to left center, and two batters later Lawless singled to center to drive in Elkins. McFerran homered with one out in the ninth to finish the scoring.
 
Cortland 12, RPI 3
 
Cortland starter Tyler Blake (Cortland) allowed one unearned run and one hit in an inning and a third with two walks. Xander Payne (Medina) earned his first collegiate win after giving up no hits, no runs and one walk in an inning and two thirds. He was the pitcher of record when Cortland took the lead for good in the third
 
Connor Durkin (Poughkeepsie/Roy C. Ketcham), Cortland's third reliever, entered the game in the fourth having pitched just an inning and two thirds this season. He notched a rare six-inning save, giving up three hits and no walks the rest of the game. He struck out five batters and did not walk anyone.
 
Elkins led the Red Dragons' 14-hit showing with a 3-for-5 effort. He drove in a run and scored twice. Lawless went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and three RBI, McFerran ended 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBI, and Tristan Gatchalian (Manorville/Eastport-South Manor) was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored. JJ DeLawder (Hyde Park/Franklin D. Roosevelt) was 1-for-3 with a walk, hit by pitch, RBI and two runs, Plue finished 1-for-2 with a walk and RBI, and Jackson drove in two runs.
 
Matt Chotiner finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI for the hosts. Starter Ben Beliss allowed seven runs in two and two thirds innings.
 
RPI grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second on a Robbie Redding sacrifice fly. Cortland, however, exploded for seven runs in the top of the third. Granger doubled in a run, Elkins hit an RBI single, and Plue and McFerran drew back-to-back bases-loaded walks to make it 4-0. Lawless then greeted reliever Danny Nayvelt with a three-run double to right center.
 
RPI got two runs back in the fourth on a Chotiner RBI double and a double steal of second and home after the Engineers intentionally got into a rundown between first and second and Cortland was unable to record an out.
 
The game remained 7-3 until the seventh when Gatchalian singled, DeLawder was hit by a pitch, Plue bunted the runners to second and third, and McFerran hit an RBI single. Cortland tacked on four runs in the ninth on RBI singles by DeLawder and Carter Corbett (Skaneateles/St. Paul's (NH)) and a Jackson two-run single.