Cortland Standard .net

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — With pitcher Alex Weingarten improving to 3-0 on the season, the SUNY Cortland baseball team finished off a successful spring break in Florida with another victory on Saturday.
The Red Dragons beat New Paltz 9-2 to complete a three-game SUNY Athletic Conference sweep over the Hawks at North Charlotte Regional Park.
Starter Weingarten gave up six hits, struck out four and walked none while allowing just a pair of runs over the opening five innings. Four Red Dragons each threw a scoreless inning of relief.
Cortland is now 3-0 in conference play at 14-1 overall, as Coach Joe Brown’s club entered the contest ranked third nationally by D3baseball.com and second by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
The Red Dragons finished the game with 16 hits and took full advantage of eight New Paltz errors, while Cortland High product Connor Griffin drove in three runs. Eight of the nine runs scored by the Red Dragons were unnearned.
Nick Hart reached base safely in all five of his plate appearances with three hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. He doubled and drove in a run. Vinny Bomasuto, who started the game as the designated hitter before also taking the mound, went 3-for-5 with a triple, RBI and two runs scored. Donny Castaldo was 3-for-5 and scored twice.
Cortland pitchers did not walk a batter, as relievers Ryan McAlary, Evan Honce, Bomasuto and Travis Laitar kept New Paltz (0-3 SUNYAC, 3-10 overall) off the scoreboard.
The Red Dragons took control with five runs in the top of the third, that rally capped by Griffin lining a two-run single into center.
Cortland was up 6-1 when New Paltz got to Weingarten for two runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Hawks started the inning with consecutive doubles by Jake Williams, Saun Hansen and Mike Sparacino, which led to their only runs along with Andrew DiNardo’s sacrifice fly.
Up 5-2, Cortland scored another unearned run in the sixth when Hart walked, stole second, went to third on a throwing error during the steal and scored on Griffin’s groundout to short.
The Red Dragons’ final two runs came in the ninth on a Bomasuto leadoff triple, a Keith Andrews RBI single and, later in the inning, a Hart RBI double after his at-bat was prolonged due to a dropped foul pop-up.
Cortland is scheduled to return to action on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. with a non-league game at Ithaca College.