CORTLAND, N.Y. - Jeff Cooke allowed three hits over six scoreless innings as nationally sixth-ranked Cortland defeated Oneonta, 5-0, in the first game of a SUNYAC doubleheader. Cortland (22-5, 7-2 SUNYAC) completed a sweep of the visiting Red Dragons with a 13-1 win behind a 17-hit attack.
 
Cortland 5, Oneonta 0
 
Cooke improved to 5-2 with his performance in the seven-inning opener. He struck out four and walked one. Andrew Barnes retired the side in order in the seventh with one strikeout to complete the shutout.
 
Oneonta starter Nicholas Ponesse (Newburgh/Valley Central) matched Cooke through the first four innings before Cortland broke through for four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Ponesse, now 2-1, allowed three hits and two runs over four and two thirds innings. He struck out two and walked two.
 
Cortland's four-run rally in the fifth started with two outs. Paul Dondero reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error. Steven Figueroa worked the count before eventually being issued an intentional walk, and pinch hitter Justin Teague hit an RBI single through the left side to break the scoreless tie. Figueroa eventually scored on a passed ball, Teague scored on a wild pitch, and Jack Massa singled in a run.
 
The hosts added a run in the sixth when Patrick Schetter led off with a single, stole second, moved to third on a one-out wild pitch and scored on a Matt Michalski single to right.
 
Cooke faced only two batters over the minimum as he picked off two runners, and a third was caught stealing. Mickey Mullins (Vestal/Vestal) finished 1-for-2 with a walk for Oneonta.
 
Cortland 13, Oneonta 1
 
Cortland held a 3-1 lead before scoring five times in the sixth. The Red Dragons added a run in the seventh and four in the eighth.
 
Mike Harrington earned the win in relief of Patrick Merryweather. Harrington, now 4-1, entered with one out in the fourth and a runner on and induced an inning-ending double play grounder. He retired the side in order in the sixth and gave up only a two-out single in the seventh.
 
Merryweather went four and a third innings and allowed only one hit and one run with five strikeouts, but did walk four batters. Billy Goncalves allowed one hit and fanned one in a scoreless eighth inning, and Jake Casey (Homer) struck out two batters and permitted just one runner on a hit batsman in the ninth.
 
Figueroa went 2-for-3 with a walk, double, RBI and two runs scored and Dondero finished 2-for-2 with sac fly, RBI and two runs. Teague and Colin BeVard each went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
 
Oneonta starter Thomas Bond (Somers/North Salem) allowed eight runs, five earned, over five and a third innings. He gave up nine hits and two walks and struck out four. Dalton Beatty (Atwater/Atwater) went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Donald Geloso (Staten Island/Monsignor Farrell) and LJ Gizzarelli (Newburgh/Newburgh Free Academy) each were 1-for-3 as Oneonta (9-10, 2-6 SUNYAC) was limited to three hits.
 
BeVard doubled home a run with two outs in the second, but Oneonta tied the game in the fourth on a Beatty two-out RBI single. Dondero's sac fly gave Cortland a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth, and Teague hit an RBI single in the fifth to push the lead to 3-1.
 
Cortland's five-run sixth featured consecutive RBI singles by Figueroa, Matthew Personius and Massa, with an error and a wild pitch accounting for the other two runs. Ralph Nuzzi hit an RBI single in the seventh, and Cortland's eighth frame was highlighted by a Dom DeMarco RBI infield single, and RBI singles through the left side by Dan Schweitzer and Marcos Perivolaris.

Oneonta looks to bounce back as they take on RPI on Tuesday in a mid week match up starting at 4:30PM.

***Story courtesy of Cortland Sports Information Department***