CORTLAND, N.Y. - The SUNY Oneonta baseball team fell to Cortland, 11-1 and 5-2, in a SUNYAC doubleheader at Wallace Field today. Cortland, ranked 14th nationally in Division III, improved to 16-6 overall with its eighth straight win and is in first place in the conference with an 8-1 mark. Oneonta dropped to 7-13 overall and 3-5 in league action.

Cortland 11, Oneonta 1
Cortland scored all 11 of its runs over the final four innings after the teams played three scoreless frames. Oneonta starter Takoda Sitar (Katonah/Somers) allowed only one hit over the first three innings but gave up two runs on two hits in the fourth and three runs on three hits in the fifth. He finished with six strikeouts and four walks in four and two thirds innings.

Cortland took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth (batting in the top of the inning since Oneonta was officially the "home" team for the weekend series that was originally scheduled for Oneonta). Patrick Schetter walked, was bunted to second by Justin Teague and scored on a Marcos Perivolaris two-out double that just fell into right center. Joe Tardif followed with an RBI single through the right side.

The lead grew to 6-0 in the fifth on two-run singles by Teague and Perivolaris. Oneonta got on the board in the bottom of the fifth on singles by Dalton Beatty (Atwater, CA/Atwater) and Dominic Lamonica (Stony Brook/Ward Melville) and a two-out RBI single from Patrick McGee (Mahopac/Mahopac).

Cortland picked up two runs in the sixth on Antonio Pragana's RBI fielder's choice and Schetter's RBI single and closed the scoring with three unearned runs in the seventh - two on a dropped fly ball and the third on a wild pitch. Matt Valin retired the side in order with two strikeouts in the bottom of the seventh.

McGee, LaMonica and Beatty each finished 1-for-2 for Oneonta.

Cortland 5, Oneonta 2
Cortland broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the sixth. Schetter doubled with one out, Matt Michalski was hit by a pitch, and Perivolaris hit an RBI single through the left side. Perivolaris drove in what proved to be the decisive go-ahead run in each of Cortland's three games versus Oneonta over the weekend. Michalski took third on an error during the Perivolaris single and scored on a wild pitch.

Oneonta cut its deficit to 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh as Beatty singled and scored on a LaMonica one-out double. LaMonica was the first batter faced by Cortland reliever Isiah Hudson, who then walked the next hitter before escaping the jam with a fly out and a foul out. 

Cortland added two key insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Paul Dondero doubled with one out and scored on a Pragana double to left. Pragana moved to third on a passed ball and scored on Teague's two-out single up the middle. Hudson allowed a leadoff infield single before being replaced on the mound by Frank Vesuvio, who was playing right field the entire game. Vesuvio recorded an out, but walked the next hitter to bring the potential tying run to the plate. He bounced back, however, to notch a strikeout and a groundout for his first save of the season.

Cortland grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the second when Vesuvio walked with one out, stole second and scored on Jack Massa's double to left. Oneonta knotted the game in the fourth. Mickey Mullins (Vestal/Vestal) drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a Beatty sacrifice and scored on LaMonica's two-out single to right center. Vesuvio threw out LaMonica trying to stretch the play into a double to end the inning.

LaMonica was 2-for-2 with a walk and two RBI and Beatty finished 2-for-3 for Oneonta. Nicholas Ponesse (Newburgh/Valley Central) started for Oneonta and allowed four hits and three walks with three strikeouts in six innings. He gave up three runs, two earned. RJ Lyman (Mohegan Lake/Walter Panas) and Christopher DiDomizio (Cortlandt Manor/Lakeland) each pitched a scoreless inning of relief  .