Box Score AUBURN, N.Y. - The SUNY Cortland baseball team forced a winner-takes-all final game of the NCAA Auburn, New York Regional with a 6-4 victory over Tufts in Game 10 of the tournament on Sunday afternoon.
The Jumbos (15-7) and the Red Dragons (30-7) will play for the Regional title and a berth into the Division III College World Series on Monday at noon.
Cortland starter Ryan Flansburg, who lasted just an inning when the teams met on the first day of the Regional Thursday, pitched his first five innings scoreless today helping the Red Dragons build a 5-0 lead. The Jumbos got to him for a run in the sixth and then three more in the seventh on a home run by Nate Bozzella that pulled Tufts within 6-4. The Jumbos would load the bases with two outs against reliever Liam Krasney in the bottom of the ninth, but he finished off the victory by getting a ground out for his first save of the season.
Cortland built its lead starting with one in the first inning off Tufts starter Lucas Gustavson. Matthew Krafft led off with a walk and scored on a one-out double to right-center field by Scott Giordano.
Flansburg retired the first nine batters until Jimmy Evans walked to lead off the Tufts fourth. The Jumbos would load the bases with two outs that inning, but could not score. Tufts would go on to strand eight overall in the game.
Gustavson kept the score at 1-0 until the fifth. Singles by Andrew Michalski and Chris Bonacci was followed by a Tufts error on a bunt to load the bases. After the Jumbos got a force-out at home, Giordano walked to bring in a run. Colin BeVard then singled down the third-base line scoring two runs and the Red Dragons led 4-0. Cortland loaded the bases with two outs later in the inning, but Gustavson got a ground ball to end the frame.
Tufts would try to get some offense going in the bottom of the fifth. After Ozzie Fleischer led off with a walk, Ryan Noone hit one down the first base line that looked like extra bases. However, Krafft gloved it and got the out with Fleischer taking second. Then when Evans singled through the right side with two outs, Fleischer tried to score and was thrown out at the plate by right fielder Mat Bruno.
Michalski led off the Red Dragon sixth with a single past the shortstop. He was sacrificed to second, took third on a passed ball and then scored on a wild pitch for a 5-0 Cortland advantage.
Tufts would get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth as Brandon Bay led off with a home run over the left field wall. However, Cortland got the run right back in the top of the seventh. A single by BeVard followed by a run-scoring double from Daniel Coleman made it 6-1.
Bozzella would give the Jumbos a jolt in the seventh. After a single by Fleischer and a double from Noone, Bozzella hit the first pitch over the left field wall and suddenly it was a 6-4 game. That's when Krasney entered for the Red Dragons, and he would quiet the Jumbos over the remainder of the inning.
A pair of 6-4-3 double plays turned by Cortland in the eighth and Tufts in the ninth helped keep the score at 6-4 heading into Tufts' final at bat. Bozzella was hit by a pitch with one out and the tying run came to the plate. He remained at first as a second out was made, but then Bay walked putting the tying run on base. DeMaria also walked to load the bases, but Clay Sowell's grounder was fielded by shortstop Ben Rhodes and flipped to Michalski at second to end the game.
Krasney pitched three no-hit, no-run innings of relief, though he walked four. Flansburg (6 IP, 7 H, 4 R) improved to 6-1 with the win. BeVard (two rbis) and Michalski had two hits each for Cortland and Krafft scored twice.
DeMaria with a hit and two walks was the top offensive performer for the Jumbos. Gustavson (1-1) contributed seven innings allowing seven hits and four earned runs. He did walk six in a game that saw 13 total free passes. Jack Schwartz pitched two scoreless innings in relief for Tufts.
