The SUNY Oneonta baseball team returned to action after a two week layoff today against No. 2 Cortland.  In dramatic fashion, Oneonta came-from-behind in game one to defeat its rival 3-2 in 12 innings to capture its first SUNYAC win of the season.

The Red Dragons were led by a phenomenal pitching performance, as sophomores Thomas Bond (Somers/North Salem) and Christopher DiDomizio (Cortlandt Manor/Lakeland ) combined to shutdown the Cortland offense. Bond went nine innings striking out 11 while only allowing one earned run while DiDomizio pitched three innings to earn his second win of the season. Bond dueled with Cortland's Seth Lamando who went nine innings striking out eight and allowing one run (unearned).

With DiDomizio on the mound in the top of the 12^th inning and the score tied at 1-1, Cortland's Nick Hart led off the inning with a double to the right center gap. The next batter, Marcos Perivolaris would strike out on three straight bunt attempts and Sean Getman would ground out to Joe Franke (Livingston Manor/Liberty Central) at third base for the second out of the inning. Cortland sent up pinch hitter Connor Manderson, who would reach base on a check swing infield hit to first base, which allowed Hart to advance to third base. Senior captain Keith Andrews would step up to bat and, on the second pitch of the at bat, Manderson would delay steal on a pitch in the dirt to take second base. With runners on a second and third with two outs and a 3-2 count, Andrews would hit a ground ball to the shortstop and the ensuing throw would draw the first baseman, Dylan Stamile (Long Beach, NY/Bowie (Austin, TX)), off of the bag, calling for Stamile to tag the runner. The field umpire made the initial call of an out, but after an appeal by Cortland the call was reversed and Hart's run would give Cortland the lead.

In the bottom of the 12^th, Stamile would lead off for Oneonta with a single to right field off the diving glove of Getman. Senior Matt Mastroianni (Somers/North Salem) would pinch hit for Donald Gelso and get hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Next up for Oneonta, catcher Sean Mullins (Vestal/Vestal) would square around to bunt, but pulled back on the first pitch, as the ball got away from the catcher advancing both Stamile and Mastroianni. With an empty base available Cortland's Turner Parry would intentionally walk Mullins to load the bases. Franke would ground into a double play, which scored Stamile from third and Mastroianni moved to third. Junior Michael Grudzinski (Islip/Islip) would play hero with two outs, as he lace a ball through the five-six hole for a walk off 3-2 win.

Stamile and classmate Casey Kerdesky (Cornwall/Cornwall) would each collect two hits in the game for Oneonta, which earned its first win against Cortland since May 7^th 2010 when Dave Filak beat Cortland 7-1 in the opening game of the conference tournament.

In the second game, the two teams locked up in another pitching duel, but unfortunately, the nightcap would go to Cortland 2-0.  Senior Nicholas Ponesse (Newburgh/Valley Central) would pitch 5 1/3 innings allowing two runs (one earned) while striking out four batters. Erik Johansen (Rosendale/Rondout) would come relieve Ponesse and pitch 1 2/3 innings allowing no hits or runs while striking out two batters. Cortland's Jeff Cooke would replace starter Ben Moxley after an injury in the middle of the second inning and go on to throw 4 2/3 innings and only allowing one hit and strike out three to earn the win.