Cortland, N.Y. – The #6 Cortland Red Dragons (24-7, 10-1) shut down the Plattsburgh State Baseball (10-10, 0-5) team on offense on Friday, as the Cardinals could only muster eight hits in two runs over 16 innings. Cortland took game one by a score of 9-2, before shutting out the Cards 4-0 in game two.
 
Christian Ott (Kingston, NY/Kingston) had two hits in the first game and Chris Santic (Stony Point, NY/North Rockland) was strong in relief in game two, as the sophomore threw 5.2 innings of three run ball, keeping Plattsburgh in contention.
 
Game One: #6 Cortland 9, Plattsburgh 2
 
The Red Dragons got off to a hot start in the first game of the series versus Plattsburgh, as they rattled off six runs in the first frames to take a commanding lead early. Cortland scored an unearned run in the first inning before adding three runs in the second and two in the third to build their lead.
 
The Cardinals were finally able to string some offense together in the fifth when the first three runners of the inning all reached, with Nick Cergol (Mount Sinai, NY/Mt. Sinai) and Ott singling to load the bases. Mike Rasquin (Garden City, NY/Garden City) drove in a run following the Ott single, reaching on a fielder's choice. The following batter struck out, but a wild pitch allowed Cergol to score on the play.
 
Now leading by only four runs, the Red Dragons added some insurance runs in the sixth as a homerun, RBI triple and RBI ground out gave them their largest lead of the game at 9-2. The Cardinals were unable to get any more than four batters to the plate for the rest of the game, as the Cortland bullpen held the Cards to just one hit and no runs.
 
Ott was 2-4 with two singles, and Cergol, Nolan De Melfi (Shirley, NY/William Floyd), and Kaden Kowalowski (Plattsburgh, NY/Beekmantown) each had hits for Plattsburgh. Ryan Nista (East Greenbush, NY/Columbia) gave up one run in 1.2 innings of relief and Gabe Mounkhall (Valley Cottage, NY/Nyack) threw a scoreless inning, striking out two.
 
Antonio Pragana went 4-5 for Cortland and drove in two runs to lead the Red Dragon offensive effort.
 
Game Two: #6 Cortland 4, Plattsburgh 0
 
In what was a pitcher's duel for most of the game, the Red Dragons came out on top in game two, holding the Cardinals to just three hits in a 4-0 win. Left-handed pitcher Chris Santic came in relief in the first inning and shut down the Cortland bats for the large majority of his outing, finishing with a line of 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 1 BB, and 2 SO.
 
Kowalowski led off the game with a single up the middle and Christian Lent (Miller Place, NY/Miller Place) had a single in the second to put two runners on, but the Cardinals could muster just one more hit for the rest of the game. The second inning provided the best chance for Plattsburgh, as the team had second and third with one out after an Ott sacrifice bunt, but a runner was thrown out at the plate on a fielder's choice and the final out of the inning was made directly after.
 
Santic, meanwhile, was cruising along as well, as the sophomore put up zeroes in the third, fourth, and sixth. The lefty gave up a run on a sacrifice fly in the second and a two-run homer in the fifth as the only blemishes on his strong outing. The 5.2 innings pitched were a career high, surpassing his previous career high of five innings pitched in his first career start against Oneonta.
 
Rasquin had the only other hit for the Cardinals with a single in the top of the fifth.
 
Cortland starter Ryan Flansburg threw a complete game shutout, allowing only three hits and striking out three batters. Danny Coleman led the offense with two hits and two runs driven in, both of which came on a two-run homerun in the fifth.
 
The Cardinals and Red Dragons will finish up their three game SUNYAC series with a game tomorrow, April 16^th, at 12 p.m.