Cortland escapes tourney with win

Tournament MVP Zack Graczyk went 9-for-16 with two walks, three steals and four runs scored in four tournament games. Cortland sports information

CORTLAND, N.Y. – Freshman Tim Panetta's RBI double broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the seventh and Cortland defeated Brockport, 2-1, in the championship game of the SUNYAC Tournament.

The Red Dragons (33-8), ranked seventh nationally, won their 29th league crown and earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Div. III playoffs. Cortland will play in the NCAA tournament for the 19th straight year, the longest active streak nationally in Div. III. Cortland will serve as the host school for an NCAA regional at Falcon Park in Auburn, N.Y., from May 18-22.

Brockport (27-12) forced a winner-take-all championship game by defeating Cortland, 5-3, in Sunday's first contest. The Golden Eagles, last year's conference champion, have now finished first or second in the SUNYAC seven of the last nine seasons.

Cortland sophomore Zack Graczyk was named the tournament Most Valuable Player. He batted .563 (9-for-16) with two walks, three steals and four runs scored in four games. Also named to the all-tournament team were Michael Mahay, Mike Assmann, Aaron Schuldt, Justin Fredenburg and Matt June from Cortland, Mike DeGregory, Jake Coleman and Max Zimmerman from Brockport, Jimmy Briggs from New Paltz and Christopher Smith from Oneonta.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Cortland 2, Brockport 1

Mahay allowed eight hits and one walk and struck out six in seven innings for his seventh victory in as many decisions this spring. Junior Brendan Hourihan retired all six batters he faced, three by strikeout, for his fourth save.

Mark Ciccotti pitched well for Brockport in the loss. He gave up eight hits and two runs in six and a third innings. He struck out two and walked one. Aaron Tilley induced a lineout double play to end the eighth and retired the side in order in the ninth out of the bullpen.

Brockport left the bases loaded with one out in the top of the first after Mahay struck out two straight hitters. Cortland had runners stranded on third in the first and third innings. In the top of the fourth, DeGregory singled with two outs, stole second and scored on Tom McCormick's RBI single up the middle to give the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead.

Cortland tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. Pinch hitter Alex Coffey reached on a one-out bunt single, took second on a groundout and scored on Fredenburg's single up the middle.

Cortland's winning rally in the seventh started with a Fredenburg leadoff single to left. Gentzke sacrificed him to second and Panetta hit a double over the right fielder's head to score Fredenburg.

Fredenburg and Panetta each finished 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Red Dragons. DeGregory went 3-for-4 and McCormick was 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Golden Eagles.

Corey Booth was 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI to force a winner-take-all game for the SUNYAC title. Brockport photo by Nathan Zimmerman

Brockport 5, Cortland 3

Brockport scored four times in the top of the fifth to break a scoreless tie. The Golden Eagles led 5-0 entering the bottom of the ninth before withstanding a Cortland rally.

Steve Locke earned the win with six innings of four-hit ball. He struck out five and walked four. Corey Booth finished 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI, Max Zimmerman hit a two-run homer and Jake Coleman finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored.

June and Graczyk each went 3-for-4 with a run scored and Dan Kaplan was 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI for Cortland. Travis Ratliff suffered the loss after allowing six hits and five walks in six and two-thirds innings. He fanned three and gave up five runs, four earned. Zachary Badanes allowed only one hit and one walk and fanned three in two and a third innings of scoreless relief.

Booth's two-run double and Zimmerman's two-run homer accounted for Brockport's four runs in the fifth. In the seventh, Coleman reached on a bunt single, went to third on a wild pickoff throw and scored on a Booth double.

Cortland, which left 13 runners on base and hit into three double plays, finally broke through in the ninth. June and Graczyk led off with singles and Nick Thode singled with one out to load the bases. A Kris Gentzke fielder's choice drove in one run and, after a wild pickoff throw to first allowed Graczyk to score, Kaplan singled to left center to drive in a run and draw Cortland within 5-3. Anthony Siracusa, who started the ninth for Brockport, struck out the next batter to end the game.