Cortland, NY – On day two of the SUNYAC Tournament, the Golden Eagle baseball team defeated the top-seeded Cortland Red Dragons, 6-1. They are now just one win away from claiming the program's first conference title since 2010.
Adam Douglas got the start and the win on the mound for Brockport. He threw 7.1 innings with seven strikeouts, allowing just one earned run on nine hits. Teammate
Matthew Colucci finished out the final 1.2 innings, striking out two batters on the way to earning the save.
Cortland was able to get on the board first with a run in the bottom of the third. With a runner in scoring position the team hit an RBI single up the middle to go up 1-0. This would be the only run Brockport surrendered all game.
After five scoreless innings, the Green and Gold would get on the board in the sixth.
David Belsito led off the inning with a single, as he went 2-for-4 at the plate on the day. A few batters later,
Ryan Mansell connected for an RBI single to bring Belsito home and tie the score up at 1-1.
The top two seeds in the SUNYAC would remain tied until the top of the eighth.
Zach Eldred hit a double to activate the bats in the eighth and was soon brought home by
Patrick Bigham's triple to break the tie.
Josh Indek came in to pinch run for Bigham and quickly came in to score thanks to another RBI single from Mansell.
Bigham and Mansell's work at the plate would create a 3-1 lead for the Golden Eagles heading into the bottom of the eighth. Mansell ended the game 2-for-5 with two RBIs for the squad.
Colucci took over on the mound for Brockport with one out and a runner on scoring position in the eighth. He was able to prevent Cortland from getting a run across with two quick outs, including a strikeout to end the inning.
With a 2-run lead going into the ninth, the Green and Gold would extend the lead on the scoreboard.
James Houlahan hit a lead-off single and was moved over to second thanks to a sacrifice bunt by
Johnny Genau.
Nicholas Pastore knocked an RBI single to left field to score Houlahan.
Now with a 4-1 advantage, Brockport continued to add cushion in the final inning. Indek connected for an RBI single in his lone at-bat, bringing Eldred in to score. A throwing error by Cortland on the play allowed Pastore to come home as well, creating the final score of 6-1.
The Golden Eagles have locked up a spot in the 3:30pm game on Saturday, as they await the results of two other matchups. A win for Brockport tomorrow would clinch the SUNYAC Title and an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament.
