BREVARD, N.C. – The Brevard College baseball team (10-6) fell 23-3 to (RV) SUNY-Cortland (7-7) in a Wednesday afternoon matinee at Gil Coan Field. The visiting Red Dragons scored 22 unanswered runs over the course of the last four innings to flip the script and take a 20-run victory.
BC's Luke Morton and Cale Oehler each logged two-hit performances, while Zach Allison, Lucas Granata, and Frankie Vasquez also tallied base knocks. Jacob Thompson (2-1) hurled six-plus innings on the mound with eight hits and two earned runs allowed, striking out five Cortland batters. Allison, Davis Bryson, and Logan Clark all stole bases for BC as well.
The Tornados were hampered, however, by a total of nine errors and 19 runs surrendered in the final three innings by their bullpen.
Cortland leadoff hitter Chris Bonacci went a perfect 5-for-5 on the day with four runs scored and two RBIs, while a total of nine Red Dragons enjoyed multi-hit performances in the 23-run, 23-hit outburst. Will McCarthy (2-0) earned the win after six innings of seven-hit, two earned-run ball with seven strikeouts.
Cortland scored first on a throwing error to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. BC answered right back with two runs of its own in the bottom half of the frame as Oehler and Granata logged RBI singles as Brevard took a 2-1 edge.
Thompson locked down Cortland for the next four innings, holding the Red Dragons scoreless. BC's Clark walked, stole second, took third on an error and scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the third to extend the Tornado lead, 3-1.
Cortland used three-straight singles in the top of the sixth to cut the deficit to a one-run margin, 3-2, but a fielder's choice followed by a lineout double play kept BC on top by one run.
A costly error on a sacrifice bunt began Cortland's rally in the top of the seventh, as the Red Dragons tied things up, 3-3. A lineout double play turned by Vasquez would have been the inning's third out without the error, and the Red Dragons capitalized big time scoring 13 runs on 10 hits and three Tornado errors to blow the game open, 15-3.
Cortland went on to score eight runs over the final two innings and wrap up a dominant 20-run victory in Brevard.
The Tornados open up USA South Conference play on the road Friday in Buena Vista, Virginia as Brevard opens up a three-game series against Southern Virginia University. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.
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-BC-