BOXSCORE
The College at Brockport's baseball team has survived some close calls during the 2011 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) postseason tournament.
After dropping its first game of the competition to Oneonta Friday, Brockport needed a frantic rally — capped by a walk-off RBI single from senior
Mike Goldstein (Slingerlands, NY/Guilderland) — just to escape day one of the tournament.
Facing another elimination game Saturday afternoon against the same Oneonta squad that defeated Brockport in Game 1, the Golden Eagles clung to a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth before the Green and Gold's bats sprung to life.
The Golden Eagles scored four runs in the sixth inning and put away the Red Dragons with a five-run eighth as Brockport (26-11 overall), the defending SUNYAC champions, routed Oneonta 12-3 at Cortland's Wallace Field.
Brockport advances to face Cortland (32-7) in championship game at noon Sunday. If the Red Dragons win, they are SUNYAC champions. If Brockport wins, it forces a second game to decide the SUNYAC championship at 3:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
Sophomore leadoff man
Jake Coleman (Hilton, NY/Hilton) was a catalyst for Brockport's offense, going 3-for-5 with a career-high five RBI. He scored three runs, smacked two doubles and stole a base while senior
Max Zimmerman (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville North) added two RBI for the Golden Eagles.
“Jake's been pretty good for us all year long, and he came up with some big hits for us today,” said
Justin Beach, Brockport's fourth-year head coach.
“It's a matter of who will step up for us each day. That's what's nice about having a well-balanced team, every single one of our guys can come through for us when we need them.”
Senior
Max Keado (Troy, NY/Catholic Central) went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, sophomore
Mike Weakley (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) went 2-for-4 with an RBI, senior
Tom McCormick (Utica, NY/Utica Notre Dame) was 2-for-3 and junior
Mike DeGregory (Saratoga Springs, NY/Schuylerville) belted a solo home run for Brockport.
The Golden Eagles scored two first-inning runs. Junior
Corey Booth (Middletown, NY/Minisink Valley) got Brockport on the board with a sacrifice fly and Weakley added an RBI single into right field for a 2-0 lead.
The Red Dragons (21-17) threatened in the top of the fourth, putting runners on first and second with only one out. McCormick then ranged to his left and made a nifty play to start the inning-ending double play as Brockport and starter
James Bardenett (Syracuse, NY/Henninger) escaped a jam.
In the bottom of the sixth, DeGregory crushed his first collegiate home run over the left field fence for a 3-0 lead. Oneonta got two runs in the fifth to pull within 3-2 before Brockport exploded for four runs in the bottom of the inning. Weakley led off with a double, but Brockport hit into back-to-back fly outs. McCormick and Goldstein each drew walks to load the bases for Coleman, who blasted a bases-clearing double to the gap in left-center field for a 6-2 lead. Keado followed with an RBI triple to plate Coleman as Brockport enjoyed a 7-2 edge heading into the seventh.
“The team that has more two-out hits is the one that will win, and we came through in the clutch today,” Beach said after Brockport advanced into its fourth consecutive SUNYAC championship game.
“These guys never say die and they came through when we needed them to. Two-out hits are clutch, especially in the playoffs. That two-out rally in the sixth was a big momentum changer for us.”
Oneonta got a run back in its half of the inning, and the score remained 7-3 until the eight. With one out, McCormick doubled and senior pinch-hitter
Zach Prentice (Auburn, NY/Auburn) was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch before Coleman drove them in with an RBI double into left field.
Brockport would load the bases for Zimmerman, who unleashed a two-run single into right-center field to score Keado and Coleman for an 11-3 lead.
Sophomore pinch-hitter
Stephen Boronczyk (Syracuse, NY/Corcoran) finished the scoring with an RBI single up the middle to make it 12-3.
Bardenett (3-1) earned the win, allowing three runs on eight hits over six innings. Relievers
James Williamson (Mexico, NY/Mexico),
John Lowe (Kingston, NY/Kingston),
Anthony Siracusa (Auburn, NY/Auburn) and
Mike Potenza (Endwell, NY/Maine-Endwell) combined on three scoreless innings of relief for the Golden Eagles.
