The Oswego State baseball team gave No. 2 Cortland all it could handle on Tuesday at Wallace Field, with the Lakers eventually suffering its first conference loss of the year 8-7 in 10 innings. Oswego's loss drops its season mark to 16-5 overall and 9-1 in SUNYAC action while the Red Dragons improve to 18-2, 5-1.
Oswego got on the board first with two runs in the second inning but Cortland answered with the games next seven runs, including an immediate reply of two runs of its own in the bottom of the second. The Lakers did not shy away, however, tallying four runs in the top of the eighth before notching the game-tying score in the ninth frame. Brian Hamilton singled to start off the inning and was advanced to second by a Kyle Liner sacrifice bunt. After Cortland nabbed the innings second out, which advanced Hamilton to third, Kyle Simmonsbrought his teammate home with an infield single to the hole at short.
To force extras, Mickey Putillo got out of a first-and-third, one-out jam, inducing a 4-6-3 double play to escape danger. Oswego went down in order in the top of the 10th, and Putillo nearly got out of another difficult situation. With the bases loaded and one out, the reliever got a grounder to third where Eric Hamiltonfielded the ball and got the force at home for the Lakers' second out. The squad was unable to push the game to the 11th, as the Red Dragons' Mark DeMilio singled through the left side to drive in the game-winner.
The Lakers' six hits all game from different players, as B. Hamilton, Simmons and Myles Kutscher had singles, Robert Donnelly and Jordan Giller each knocked out homers and Wes Randall recorded a double. Giller paced the team with two RBI while Randall, Donnelly, Simmons and E. Hamilton each had one.
On the rubber, Charles Arcuri earned the start and a no-decision, throwing 4.1 innings and allowing just three earned runs (six runs total). Pat Brown came to the hill in relief and gave up just four hits and an earned run in 2.2 innings of work. Putillo took the loss in the final 2.2 innings, matching Brown's four hits allowed and one earned run.
Oswego will look to get back to its winning ways when its hosts Oneonta at 3 p.m. on Friday at Laker Baseball Field.
