NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – Senior third baseman Steve Nickel (Lake Ronkonkoma/Sachem North) went a combined 5-for-8 with two homers, nine RBI and five runs scored as nationally 15th-ranked Cortland swept a doubleheader at SUNYAC foe New Paltz, 16-7 and 10-4. The Red Dragons upped their overall record to 24-6 and are unbeaten in league play with an 8-0 mark. New Paltz drops to 15-10 overall and 2-3 in the SUNYAC.

Nickel went 3-for-5 with two homers, five RBI and four runs scored in the opening game and was 2-for-3 with a walk, four RBI and a run scored in the second contest. Junior Jason Simone (Utica/Thomas R. Proctor) finished with a total of six hits in the twinbill. He was 4-for-5 with a homer and two runs scored in Game 1 and went 2-for-4 with a double, walk and two RBI in the second game.

Junior Travis Ratliff (Levittown/Division Avenue) won the opener despite allowing six runs on seven hits and five walks in five innings. He struck out seven batters and is 5-0 on the season. Junior Michael Mahay (Whitesboro) earned his first save of the season after pitching the final four innings. He relieved Ratliff three batters into the sixth inning and gave up just two hits, one walk and one unearned run the rest of the way. Mahay struck out three.

Mike Sherlock was 2-for-3 with an RBI and Clinton Boettcher and Steve Pinckney were each 2-for-5 with an RBI for the Hawks. Michael Pinnola suffered the loss after giving up 11 runs, three earned, in five innings.

New Paltz grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first on a Joel Judson RBI double and Pinckney RBI single. Cortland, however, scored its 16 runs over the next six innings. Simone homered in the second and Matt June's (Colonie) RBI double highlighted a four-run third. Nickel hit a three-run homer in the fourth and a two-run blast in the seventh.

Cortland also picked up three runs in the fifth on a wild pitch, a June sacrifice fly and an Adam Dimino (Honeoye Falls/Honeoye Falls-Lima) RBI single. John Zilnicki (Riverhead) added a two-run single in the sixth and Andersen Gardner (Fairport) singled in a run in the seventh just prior to Nickel's second homer of the game and team-high eighth of the season.

Gardner was 2-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored and Kevin Jackson (Wappingers Falls/Roy C. Ketcham) went 2-for-6. Khyle Dimino (Brighton) singled in the sixth to extend his hitting streak to 17 games, although that streak was snapped when he went 0-for-4 in Game 2.

In the second game, New Paltz once again took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a Boettcher RBI double and a Thomas PInnola RBI single. Cortland came back with three runs in the third on a Gardner sacrifice fly, a Nickel RBI single and a Simone RBI double.

In the fifth, June and Adam Dimino led off with walks and advanced on a Gardner sacrifice bunt. Nickel hit a sacrifice fly to center to plate June and Simone singled home a run to give Cortland a 5-2 lead.

The Hawks, however, scored on a Phil Riccio RBI single in the fifth and made things interesting with a rally in the seventh. Paul Merola's single with runners on first and second scored one run, and an error on the play put runners on second and third with two outs. The Red Dragons intentionally walked Judson to load the bases and reliever Ed Southworth (Cortland) got Boettcher to pop up to second to preserve Cortland's one-run lead.

Cortland then scored four runs in the eighth, two on a Nickel two-run single, and added a run in the ninth on a June sacrifice fly.

Senior Adam Brown (Pittsford/Pittsford-Sutherland) started for Cortland and improved to 5-1 with the victory. He gave up six hits and two walks, struck out five and allowed four runs, three earned, over six and a third innings. Kyle Ochiuzzo took the loss for the hosts. He was tagged for eight hits and walked seven over seven and two-third innings. Four of the nine runs he allowed were unearned.

Senior Damon Arnold (Wellsville) went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored and June was 2-for-4 with a double, walk, RBI and three runs scored for Cortland in the nightcap.

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score