Cortland Standard .net

WASHINGTON, D.C. — SUNY Cortland capped a successful opening weekend of baseball with a pair of Sunday shutouts, the nationally third-ranked Red Dragons sweeping Gallaudet University 9-0 and 7-0 in a pair of seven-inning outings.
The Red Dragons (4-0) had opened the season on Saturday by coming from behind to knock off Stevenson twice by 7-5 and 9-5 margins, that doubleheader played at a neutral North Carolina Wesleyan diamond in Rocky Mount, N.C.
The opening game against Stevenson was a nine-inning affair, the nightcap seven innings.
Cortland 9, Gallaudet 0: Starting pitcher Alex Weingarten allowed only two hits over the opening five innings, striking out seven and walking a lone Gallaudet batter. Patrick Healy pitched a hitless sixth with two strikeouts and freshman Jason Martin finished up in the ninth, allowing a hit to go along with a strikeout, to complete the three-hit blanking.
Junior Vinny Bomasuto and freshman catcher Connor Manderson each went 2-for-3 while driving home a run. Junior Conrad Ziemendorf doubled, drove in a run and scored three times, while senior Anthony Simon and sophomore Sean Getman each drove in two runs.
Junior Brandon Holsworth, the North Eastern Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year each of the last two seasons, started for the host Bison and allowed five hits and four runs — three earned — in five innings. He struck out three and walked four.
Gallaudet did not have any runners reach second base in the contest.
Cortland 7, Gallaudet 0: Four predetermined pitchers rotated for the second straight shutout showing — junior Seth Lamando getting the win striking out four over allowing two hits over the opening two frames. Juniors Turner Parry, Bomasuto, and Adam Brant finished up the second straight three-hit shutout.
Senior Mark DeMilio led the Red Dragons’ 12-hit attack by going 2-for-3 with two triples, an RBI and two runs scored. Freshman Justin Teague finished 2-for-3 with a run scored, Bomasuto was 2-for-4 with an RBI, freshman Ralph Nuzzi was 2-for-4 and freshman Patrick Schetter drove in two runs.
Cortland High grad Connor Griffin also doubled home a Red Dragon run in the fifth frame.
Cortland 7, Stevenson 5: Cortland rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh to erase a 4-2 deficit and added two more runs in the eighth on its way to the victory. Sophomore Nick Hart hit a two-out, two-run single in the seventh to give the Red Dragons the lead and junior Seth Lamando doubled in two runs in the eighth as part of a three-RBI game.
Junior Austin Clock finished 2-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored for the Red Dragons. Troy Miller, Nick Peifer and John D’Aquanno each went 2-for-4 for Stevenson.
Junior Brandon Serio started for Cortland and allowed two hits, one walk and one unearned run in four innings while striking out six. Junior Nick Di Benedetto, the second of four Cortland relievers, earned the win with an inning and a third of scoreless relief despite three walks.Junior Tyler Brien centered in the ninth with two on and one out after Stevenson scored to pull within two runs. Brien allowed a sacrifice fly before striking out the next hitter to end the game and earn the save.
Cortland 9, Stevenson 5: Stevenson led 4-2 after three frames but Cortland took the lead for good with a four-run fourth, highlighted by freshman Matt Personius’ two-run double and Ziemendorf’s RBI single.
Leading 6-5, the Red Dragons added a run in the sixth on a Ziemendorf RBI triple and scored two unearned runs in the seventh.
Personius finished 2-for-2 with two RBI and two runs and Ziemendorf was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run. Hart went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, Clock drove in two runs and freshman Patrick Schetter went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored.
Sophomore Evan Honce earned the win in relief of senior starter Brandon McClain. Honce allowed one run on two hits with no walks and one strikeout in three innings.
Craig Joseph was 2-for-4 for Stevenson (0-3-1).
Cortland will play at North Carolina Wesleyan Thursday at 4 p.m. on its way to Florida. The Red Dragons have 10 games on their Florida slate, starting with contests versus Marietta and Salem State Saturday in Port Charlotte.
For the first time Cortland will play SUNY Athletic Conference games in Florida with a three-game slate against New Paltz to conclude the trip March 20-21.