The Oswego State baseball team was victorious in two win-or-go-home games on the second day of the SUNYAC Championship to advance to the final round for the second time in three years.
Oswego, who is the second-seed in the tournament and No. 30 in the latest Collegiate Baseball poll, will face the tournament and nation's No. 1 team, Cortland, on Sunday. The two teams will meet at 12 p.m., with the Lakers needing a win to force a decisive seventh game of the tournament.
On Saturday, the Lakers knocked off No. 4 Fredonia 9-5 before coming back later in the day to cruise past third-seeded Brockport 11-4 at Cortland's Wallace Field.
GAME ONE – No. 2 Oswego 9, No. 4 Fredonia 5:
Oswego used three long balls on the day, all solo shots, to spur momentum and move past Fredonia. Junior Jordan Giller had one of those empty-base blasts as part of a game-best 4-for-5 outing at the plate, driving in five runs and scoring twice. Also with a homer was Robert Donnelly, finishing with two RBI and a run scored with his multiple-hit game. Sophomore Eric Hamilton rounded out those with a bomb, going 2-for-4 with a double while scoring twice and notching an RBI.
Wes Randall was the fourth and final Laker with a multiple-hit day, ending with two singles.
Ace Brendyn Karinchak earned his seventh win of the season, lasting into the seventh inning with nine strikeouts while only allowing three earned runs. Cody LaFlamme and Mickey Putillo combined to throw the game's final 2.2 innings, neither allowing a run while Putillo picked up his sixth save of the year.
GAME TWO – No. 2 Oswego 11, No. 3 Brockport 4:
For the third-straight time during the SUNYAC playoffs, Oswego had more than 10 hits in the game, exploding for its tournament-best 15 hits. The Lakers used five-run innings in both the third and seventh frames to pull away from the Golden Eagles.
Brockport actually got on the board first during the third inning, but E. Hamilton put a stop to any thoughts of a loss, smashing his second homer of the day in the bottom of the frame and in-turn igniting the five-run spurt.
Also with a home run was Dan Saccocio, who crushed a ball down the left-field line and over the foul pole in the very next inning. Saccocio closed out the game going 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored.
Leading the Lakers at the plate was freshman Wes Randall, who went 4-for-4 with a run driven in and a run scored. Senior John Rauseo was not far behind with a 3-for-4 contest while matching Randall's RBI and runs scored totals. Also with an RBI and run scored was shortstop Kyle Simmons, finishing the day 2-for-4. Brian Hamilton and Zach Kollar each had a hit, crossed the plate once and drove in another teammate.
The story of the game came from the mound, however, as Donnelly pitched all but one out of the contest, scattering eight hits while allowing just one earned run. Donnelly worked out of several jams during the contest, inducing four groundball, double plays. Three of the four were inning-ending double plays, stopping Brockport chances in the second, fifth and eighth frames.
Andy Stuart got the game's final out to secure the Laker win.
