CORTLAND, N.Y. – Ben Moxley (Oneonta) and Tanner Whiteman (Cazenovia) each turned in strong starting pitching performances as Cortland swept visiting Fredonia, 7-2 and 7-1, to complete a three-game weekend sweep of the Blue Devils.
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Cortland, ranked second nationally, improved to 18-3 overall and 4-2 in SUNYAC play. Moxley threw six innings in the seven-inning opener and allowed two unearned runs on five hits. He struck out three and walked one and is now 3-0 on the season. Whiteman improved to 5-0 with seven shutout innings in the nine-inning nightcap. He gave up just three hits with no walks and fanned three.
Cortland is scheduled to play at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. in a non-league game.
Tanner Whiteman delivers a pitch to Fredonia's Ciro Frontale during Game 2 of Cortland's doubleheader sweep. Whiteman allowed only three hits in seven scoreless innings (Photo by Michael Clock).
Cortland 7, Fredonia 2
Cortland trailed 2-1 after two innings before taking control with four runs in the third and two in the fourth. Conrad Ziemendorf (Penfield/Webster Schroeder) finished 3-for-3 with a homer, triple, walk, three runs scored and two RBI. He came up in the bottom of the sixth in the seven-inning game needing a double to hit for the cycle but instead drew a walk.
Austin Clock (Niskayuna) finished 2-for-3 with a triple, double and two RBI and Paul Dondero (East Islip) was 2-for-3. Fabio Ricci (Hawthrone/Westlake) went 2-for-4 with an RBI. For Fredonia, Michael Prentice ended 2-for-3 with a run scored and Kyle Sherman and Liam Kelly each went 1-for-3 with a walk.
Ricci's infield RBI single gave Cortland a 1-0 lead in the first. Fredonia responded with two in the second. Prentice led off with a single and Alexio Medina hit a one-out single to left. A fielder's choice force out put runners on first and third and an error. Cortland then threw away the ball on a pickoff play at first to allow Prentice to score, and an error on a grounder by Steve Zaprowski brought home the second run.
ZIemendorf led off the third with a triple and he scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 2-2. With two outs and nobody on, Ricci and Nick Hart (Fredonia) each singled and Clock hit a triple past a diving center fielder to drive two runs home. In the fourth, Connor Manderson (Penfield/Webster Schroeder) was hit by a pitch and ZIemendorf hit a homer to left center to give Cortland a 7-2 lead.
Fredonia loaded the bases with one out in the seventh against the Red Dragon bullpen. Jeff Cooke (Rome/Rome Free Academy) threw a pitch that got slightly away from catcher Matt Personius (Binghamton/Chenango Valley) for a potential wild pitch. The runner from third tried to score, but was tagged out by a diving Personius for the second out. After a walk re-loaded the bases, Cooke fanned the last batter for his second save of the season.
Cortland 7, Fredonia 1
Whiteman and Fredonia starter Bailey Gauthier traded goose eggs until Cortland broke through for three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Marcos Perivolaris (Mattituck) led off with a double and Steven Figueroa (Bronx/St. Raymond's) hit a two-run homer to left. Ricci then tripled down the right field line and scored on a Clock RBI single to right.
The Red Dragons tacked on two runs in the sixth. Justin Teague (North Syracuse/Cicero-North Syracuse) plated a run with an RBI fielder's choice. He scored from first on a throwing error by the pitcher during an infield single by Keith Andrews (East Northport/Commack). Cortland's final two runs came in the seventh on a Hart sac fly and a Teague RBI single.
Fredonia had only one runner reach scoring position through the first eight innings. In the ninth, Matt Wilhelm and Ciro Frontale each walked and Kelly singled to load the bases with no outs. After a foul out for the first out, a fielding error on a potential game-ending double play grounder allowed Wilhelm to score. Dan Cecelia was credited with an RBI fielder's choice on the play. Turner Parry (Syracuse/West Genesee), who entered to start the eighth, closed the game with a strikeout and a flyout.
Figueroa finished 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and two runs. Hart was 2-for-2 with an RBI, Ricci went 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs, and Teague drove in two runs. Ralph Nuzzi (Mount Kisco/Fox Lane) reached base three times on a single and two walks in four plate appearances.
Kelly was 2-for-4 to provide two of Fredonia's five hits and Zaprowski singled in his lone at-bat.
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