SUNY Cortland Athletics

2010 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP – AUBURN (NY) REGIONAL @ Falcon Park

Game 14: #1 SUNY Cortland 7, #2 St. John Fisher College 6
(Cortland advances to NCAA Division III Championship Series) 


AUBURN, NY – St. John Fisher College was looking for a second straight extra-inning victory, scoring four times in the top of the ninth inning sparked by the game’s only error. But top-seeded SUNY Cortland used its top offensive weapon to bring the four-day NCAA Division III Championship Auburn Regional to its dramatic conclusion.

With two out and runners at second and third base, junior leftfielder Jason Simone belted a single through the middle to score sophomore second baseman Matt June (COLONIE, NY/Colonie) as the Red Dragons punched their ticket to the NCAA Division III Championship with a 7-6 victory over the second-seeded Cardinals at Falcon Park.

Cortland (36-8-1), making its 19th tournament appearance and 18th in a row (the longest active streak nationally), won its tenth regional title in the last 16 seasons and will join seven other regional champions in the five-day affair in Appleton, WI (May 28-June 1). The Red Dragons will face the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the opening game of tournament play at 10 a.m. (Central time) on Friday.

The Cardinals, the Empire Eight regular season champion, capped their most successful season in the program’s history, establishing a new school record for wins, end their season with a 31-14 mark.

Designated hitter Steve Nickel (LAKE RONKONKOMA, NY/Sachem) was named the regional most outstanding player. He finished the day batting 2-for-5 with two runs batted in and a run scored. For four regional contest, he was the team’s top hitter with a .600 batting average, an .867 slugging percentage, and a .647 on-base percentage. Nickel was 9-for-15 with two extra-base hits (double, home run) and six runs batted in.

Joining him on the ten-player All-Tournament Team were juniors Mike Assmann (AUBURN, NY/AUBURN), Simone, Travis Ratliff (LEVITTOWN, NY/Division Avenue), and Andersen Gartner (FAIRPORT, NY/Fairport). Representing Fisher were Freshman Ben Bostick (ROCHESTER, NY/Aquinas Institute), senior Dan Jurik (VESTAL, NY/Vestal), sophomore Teagen Barresi (LANSING, NY/Lansing), and junior Phil Pettinella (BATAVIA, NY/Batavia).

Fisher jumped out to a 2-0 lead through an inning and a half before Cortland took command with four runs in the bottom of the third and runs in fifth and the seventh to take what seemed to be a commanding 6-2 lead.

But Fisher mounted the ninth inning rally with four runs over six hits, beginning with a single to centerfield from junior centerfielder Ross Langevin (LIVERPOOL, NY/Liverpool). After senior first baseman Jon Gibbs (PITTSFORD, NY/Pittsford Sutherland) reached base on an infield error, moving to second while Langevin moves to third, the Cardinals got their first out on a pop fly before Barresi singled to score the two base runners.

The Cardinals got back-to-back singles from Pettinella and senior Kevin Wing (WEBSTER, NY/Webster Schroeder), with Wing’s hit moving Pettinella and Barresi, who attempted to score after rounding third before getting thrown out at the plate. Sophomore catcher Ryan Shaughnessy (PITTSFORD, NY/Pittsford Sutherland) followed with an RBI single to score Pettinella, while senior infielder Jason Nevada (ROCHESTER, NY/Greece Arcadia) added another run off a single to score senior Andrew Van Slyke (ROME, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherill), who entered the game as a pinch runner.