Cortland sweeps Blue Devils
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Baseball
CORTLAND, N.Y. -- Senior Andersen Gardner (Fairport) went a combined 5-for-8 with five RBI and senior John Zilnicki (Riverhead) homered in each game as Cortland swept Fredonia, 16-1 and 8-0, in a SUNYAC doubleheader.
Gardner was 3-for-4 with a homer, triple and four RBI in the first game and went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the second game for the nationally 21st-ranked Red Dragons (21-6, 6-0 SUNYAC). Zilnicki hit a two-run homer and finished with three RBI in the opener and hit a solo shot in the nightcap. He has homered in three straight games.
Cortland scored in each of the first four innings to take a 7-0 lead in Game 1 in support of junior Travis Ratliff (Levittown/Division Avenue).
The second game featured a combined shutout by junior Scott Hartling (Pleasant Valley/Arlington) and junior Michael Mahay (Whitesboro). Hartling scattered seven hits, did not walk anyone and struck out two over six and two-third innings. Mahay retired all seven batters he faced, including three strikeouts.
In the first game, Vinnie VanAuker (Hilton) went 3-for-3 for Fredonia, which is 11-7 overall and 1-4 in the SUNYAC following the twinbill. Taylor Gahagen (Amherst/Williamsville North) provided the lone run for the Blue Devils with a solo homer to lead off the fifth.
Starter Justin Nowak (Cheektowaga/Maryvale) suffered the loss for Fredonia. He gave up eight hits and five runs, four earned, in two and a third innings.
In the second game, Fredonia threatened in the second, loading the bases with one out on singles by Gahagen and VanAuker and an error on a ball hit by Matt LaPorte (Westfield). Hartling recovered by getting the next batter to ground into an inning-ending double play.
The Blue Devils also had a good scoring chance in the sixth when Don Kirsch (Cowlesville/Attica) doubled with one out and took third on a Gahagen flyout. Kirsch tried to score on a potential wild pitch, but was thrown out at home. Kirsch finished 2-for-3 and Rob Herrmann (Trumansburg) was 2-for-4 in the contest. Andy Dlugosz (Lackawanna/Bishop Timon) gave up five hits and six runs, five earned, over five innings for his first loss in six decisions.