CORTLAND, N.Y. – Cortland opened the SUNYAC semifinal best-of-three series in emphatic fashion on Friday afternoon, erupting for 17 hits in a dominant 14-2 victory over Oneonta at Wallace Field.
 
Game 2 of the SUNYAC semifinal series is scheduled for Saturday at noon, with a Game 3 to follow, if necessary.
 
In the battle of the Red Dragons, top-seeded Cortland (26-8-1) was powered by a strong performance from Trey McGowan (Blue Point/Bayport-Blue Point) and relentless production at the top of the lineup. The senior went 4-for-6 with six RBI - the most by a Cortland player this season - and he scored three runs. He drove in two runs each in the third, seventh and eighth innings.
 
The leadoff hitting McGowan was part of Cortland's top three in the lineup that combined to go 11-for-15 with three walks, 12 RBIs and seven runs scored. Lucas Granger (Horseheads), hitting out of the second spot, set the tone immediately with a solo home run in the first inning and never slowed down. He finished a perfect 4-for-4 with two homers, three RBI's, and two walks, reaching base in all six plate appearances. Right behind him, Talon Elkins (Syracuse/West Genesee) was just as dangerous, going 3-for-5 with three RBI's and a walk, including a two-run single during a three-run second inning as Cortland took the lead for good.
 
After Granger's homer in the first, fourth-seeded Oneonta tied the game in the second on an Anthony Loia RBI single. In the bottom of the second, Anthony Carlo (North Bellmore/St. Anthony's) reached base and moved all the way to third on an error and Logan Karwowski (Clay/Cicero-North Syracuse) brought him home with a sacrifice fly. Moments later, Elkins lined a two-run single up the middle to make it 4-1. The Red Dragons kept rolling in the third, with McGowan delivering a two-run single to extend the lead to 6-1.
 
Sean Clinton's RBI double drew Oneonta within 6-2 in the fourth. Cortland blew the game wide open with a three-run seventh inning and a five-run eighth. McGowan struck again in the seventh with a two-run single, and Elkins followed with an RBI knock to push the lead to 9-2. In the eighth, Danny Jackson (Lagrangeville/Arlington) doubled home a run before McGowan capped his monster day with another two-run single. Granger then put an exclamation point on the win, launching his second homer of the game, a two-run shot down the left-field line to make it 14-2.
 
On the mound, Cortland used a three-pitcher combination to keep Oneonta at bay. Connor Hayden (Aliso Viejo, CA/Aliso Niguel) started and allowed one run on six hits in two and a third innings. Zack Zarrilli (Farmingdale) earned his second win of the season with four strong innings, allowing just one run while striking out three. He entered the game in third with runners on first and third with one out and induced a double play grounder on the first pitch he threw to end the threat.
 
Ryan McLaughlin (Warwick/Warwick Valley) closed it out with two and two thirds scoreless innings with one hit allowed to earn his first save of the season. He entered the game in the seventh with two on and one out and Cortland up 6-2 and, like Zarrilli, got the first batter he faced to ground into a double play on the first pitch.
 
In addition to the production from Cortland's top three hitters, Jack McFerran (Selkirk/Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk) and Jackson each finished 2-for-5. McFerran scored three runs and Jackson had an RBI and two runs scored. Carlo scored four times.
 
Offensively for Oneonta, Clinton led the way with a 2-for-4 performance that included a double and an RBI. Alex Halwick also turned in a strong day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Nick Jacoby added a 1-for-2 effort with a run and a stolen base. Brendan Duffy contributed a double as part of his 1-for-2 outing.