Box Score The Hamilton College baseball team took on the nation's top-ranked team Wednesday night, going toe to toe with the defending national champion SUNY Cortland Red Dragons before losing 9-6 in a non-league game at DeLutis Field in Rome.
After Cortland (32-5 overall) scored five times in the seventh to break open a tie game the Continentals scored three times in the bottom of the ninth and brought the tying run to the plate before the Red Dragons shut down the rally and escaped with the win.
The first three batters in the ninth reached base for Hamilton; after a sacrifice fly two run-scoring hits followed before Cortland shut down the rally.
Jordan Northrup '19 singled to lead off the ninth and pinch-hit singles by Craig Sandford '19 and Ian Nish '19 loaded the bases. After Cooper Halpern '19 drove in a run with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly, run-scoring hits by David Rose '16 and Griffin Small '17 brought the tying run to the plate but Cortland's infield turned an around-the horn double play to end the inning and the game.
The Continentals fell to 14-12 on the season. Wednesday's game marked the 12th consecutive contest they've scored at least four runs (a stretch that covers the entire time since the Continentals returned from their spring trip). It also marked the 16th time in 26 games that Hamilton collected at least 10 hits.
Rose and Chris Collins '17 drove in first-inning runs as the Continentals held a 2-1 advantage an inning in. Collins had three of Hamilton's 17 hits; Northrup, Rose, Zack Becker '16 and Brett Mele '17 had two hits apiece.
The teams traded runs early, with lead changes in each of the first three half innings. Hamilton took its final lead when Mele's RBI single put the Continentals up 3-2 in the fourth. The Red Dragons tied the score with an unearned run in the top of the fifth then piled on five more unearned runs (thanks to a pair of Hamilton errors) two innings later.
Austin Clock hit a two-out bases-loaded triple two batters after Cortland had gone up 4-3. He scored on a single by Connor Griffin and an inning later the Red Dragons added another insurance run when Nate Hart hit their third sacrifice fly of the game.
Cortland's Kashaun Curry – one of 10 relief pitchers used by the two teams – earned the win to remain unbeaten at 4-0. He allowed two hits over 3.2 innings of relief while striking out four Continentals.
Dan Schweitzer and Connor Manderson both had two of Cortland's nine hits.
The Continentals are in action this weekend, closing out NESCAC West Division play with a three-game series at Williams. The two teams open the series Friday with a 4 p.m. game then play a noon doubleheader.
