AUBURNDALE, FLA. – Senior Steve Nickel (Lake Ronkonkoma/Sachem North) hit a two-out RBI double in the top of the ninth inning to break a 6-6 tie and nationally 20th-ranked Cortland defeated Rowan University, 7-6, in a non-league contest.

Sophomore Brendan Hourihan (Yorktown Heights/Lakeland) allowed only one hit in the final three and two-third innings to earn the victory. Nickel finished 3-for-5 with three RBI and sophomore Matt June (Colonie) was 3-for-5 with a double. Senior Shawn Bailey (Webster/Webster Schroeder) went 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored and junior Jason Simone (Utica/Thomas R. Proctor) finished 2-for-5 for the Red Dragons (8-4).

Rowan (7-5) was led by Matt Citro and Marc Magliaro, who each went 2-for-4. Citro tripled and drove in three runs. Curtis Arsi, who entered in relief of Mike Swietanski in the eighth inning, suffered the loss.

Cortland trailed 6-4 before tying the game with two runs in the top of the seventh. June led off with a double and scored on Bailey's RBI single. Bailey took second on the throw, went to third when Simone reached on an error and scored on Adam Dimino's (Honeoye Falls/Honeoye Falls-Lima) fielder's choice grounder to short.

The winning rally started with a Bailey leadoff walk in the ninth. Following a Simone lineout, Dimino hit into a fielder's choice that forced Bailey at second. Nickel then doubled to plate Dimino with the go-ahead run.

Rowan took a 1-0 lead in the first. A Dave Lenig double, a Scott Weaver walk and an error loaded the bases with one out against Cortland starter Scott Hartling (Pleasant Valley/Arlington). An error on a ball hit by Matt Johanson allowed Lenig to score, although another potential run was thrown out at the plate on the play. Todd DeGroat (Walden/Valley Central) relieved Hartling and recorded a strikeout with runners on first and second to prevent further damage.

Cortland tied the game in the second on a Khyle Dimino (Brighton) RBI groundout, but the Profs answered in the bottom of the frame on a two-out Citro RBI triple. Rowan added a run in the fourth when a wild pickoff throw to first by DeGroat allowed Magliaro, who was on second base, to score and the Profs led 3-1.

The Red Dragons plated three runs in the sixth to take a 4-3 lead. Bailey and Simone started the inning with singles and Adam Dimino walked to load the bases. Nickel singled in two runs, with Dimino thrown out at third on the play. Khyle Dimino and Alex Coffey (Hilton) each singled to re-load the bases and John Zilnicki (Riverhead) hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the third run.

Rowan responded with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. The big hit in the inning was a Citro two-run single, and a Weaver RBI fielder's choice drove in the last run.

Hourihan entered the game one batter before Weaver. The first hitter he faced, Lenig, reached on an error and Weaver hit into the fielder's choice. The Profs used two steals, sandwiched around a walk, to put runners on first and third, but Hourihan struck out the next batter to end the inning. Hourihan then gave up just one hit in the seventh and retired the side in order in both the eighth and the ninth.

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