Matthew Personius went 2-for-2 with an RBI and run scored (Darl Zehr Photography)
CORTLAND, N.Y - Sean Getman (Oneonta) and Matt Michalski (Buffalo/St. Francis) each drove in two runs and Colin BeVard (Syracuse/West Genesee) went 3-for-4 with two runs scored as nationally eighth-ranked Cortland closed its regular-season schedule with a 10-6 non-league victory over SUNY Canton.
Cortland (33-7) will be the second seed in the upcoming four-team SUNYAC tournament and will face third-seeded Brockport in the opening round Friday at 3:30 p.m. at SUNY Oswego. The host Lakers are the top seed and will face fourth-seeded New Paltz Friday at noon. The tournament will continue with three games Saturday and the championship round Sunday, all at Oswego.
Patrick Merryweather (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker), the first Cortland pitcher in a predetermined rotation, earned the win with three innings of four-hit ball and is 5-1 on the season. He struck out four, walked two, and allowed two runs. He left with Cortland leading 4-2 and the Red Dragons never relinquished that advantage.
Ryan Koval (Cold Spring/Haldane) tossed three innings of relief and gave up one run on two hits. He walked three and fanned one. Jake Woods (Cortland) and Salvatore Zafonte (Sayville) each threw a perfect inning of relief with one strikeout, and Chris Dodrill (Haverstraw/North Rockland) allowed three runs on three hits in the ninth.
Anthony Tur started for the Kangaroos (8-27) and was tagged for seven runs on 10 hits in five innings. He struck out two and walked two.
Four Red Dragons posted two or more hits as Cortland out-hit Canton, 14-9. In addition to BeVard's three hits, Nate Budge (Central Square/Paul V. Moore) finished 2-for-3 with a triple, double, RBI and two runs scored, Matthew Personius (Binghamton/Chenango Valley) was 2-for-2 with an RBI, and Getman went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Wilson Matos went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBI and Christian Nazario-Cruz ended 2-for-3 for the Kangaroos.
Cortland scored three in the first on a Jack Massa (Shoreham/Shoreham-Wading River) sacrifice fly and a Michalski two-run single, and the Red Dragons added a run in the second when Jon Warner (Tully) led off with a bunt single, took second on a Dan Schweitzer (Poughquag/Arlington) single to right, advanced to third on a fielder's choice and scored on a wild pitch.
Canton tallied twice in the third on a Matos RBI double and a Brett Hoberman RBI single. The Kangaroos pulled within 4-3 in the fourth on a Seth Douglas RBI single.
The Red Dragons responded by scoring at least once in each of the next four innings. Budge hit an RBI double in the fourth, and Getman's two-run single in the fifth gave Cortland a 7-3 lead. Personius singled home a run in the sixth two batters after Budge hit a one-out triple, and the Red Dragons' final two runs came via sacrifice flies from pinch hitters Nick Dunning (Bellport) and Casey Komanecky (Auburn) in the seventh.
Canton closed the scoring in the top of the ninth on an RBI fielder's choice by Travis Schindler and a two-out, two-run homer by Matos.
