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), who allowed only four hits in six and one-third innings. Ratliff struck out seven batters, walked one and allowed one run for his fourth win in as many decisions this spring. Junior Kris Gentzke (Clarence Center/Clarence) gave up just one hit and struck out two over two innings and freshman A.J. Valentino (West Islip) retired the final two batters, one by strikeout.

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, senior Steve Nickel (Lake Ronkonkoma/Sachem North) went 4-for-5, including one of Cortland's three home runs in the game, and scored twice. Sophomore Matt June (Colonie) and senior Khyle Dimino (Brighton) each went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI and junior Jason Simone (Utica/Thomas R. Proctor) finished 2-for-3 with an RBI.

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.

Gardner singled in two runs in the first, hit a solo homer in the third and added an RBI triple in the seventh. The Red Dragons scored twice in the second on a Zilnicki grounder to second and a June RBI single and twice in the fourth on Simone's RBI single and Adam Dimino's (Honeoye Falls/Honeoye Falls-Lima) run-scoring groundout.

Cortland's four-run seventh featured Gardner's RBI triple, Khyle Dimino's RBI single and Zilnicki's two-run homer. The Red Dragons added five in the eighth on Nickel's leadoff homer, a Jeff Wiltsie (Oneonta) RBI double, a Gentzke sacrifice fly and RBI singles by Dan Kaplan's (Penfield) and Tommy Berardi (Commack).

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, Gardner singled in a run in the first to give Cortland the lead. A Justin Fredenburg (Saugerties) RBI grounder and a Berardi RBI single pushed the lead to 3-0 in the second, and Khyle Dimino hit a solo homer with two outs in the fourth and Cortland was up 4-0.

The Red Dragons added two runs in the ffith on an Adam Dimino RBI single and a Khyle Dimino RBI groundout. Zilnicki homered to lead off the seventh and Nickel drove in a run with a sacrifice fly later in the inning to complete the scoring.

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.

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score