The SUNY Cortland club baseball team picked up two big wins over Binghamton last weekend at Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex, taking both games of the doubleheader and continuing to build momentum as the season moves along. Behind strong pitching performances, aggressive baserunning, and timely hitting, Cortland came away with a 5-2 win in Game 1 before following it up with an 8-5 victory in Game 2.
In the first game, Cortland relied heavily on the arm of Matt Martell, who threw four strong innings while allowing only two hits and striking out seven batters. His performance helped set the tone early and kept Binghamton from building any offensive momentum.
Martell said the team came into the game with confidence and trusted the preparation they had throughout the week.
“We were all locked in before the game even started,” Martell said. “Everybody was doing their job and once we got the lead we just kept the energy going.”
Offensively, Nick Deluca helped lead the way, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a triple. Logan Curran also had a big game, finishing 2-for-3 with two RBIs, a run scored, and three stolen bases. Eddie Baranowski added an RBI while also helping create pressure on the bases with two stolen bags of his own.
Logan Curran said the team’s aggressiveness on the bases helped create opportunities throughout the game.
“We wanted to keep pressure on them the whole time,” Curran said. “Once guys started getting on base, everybody fed off that energy.”
After taking Game 1, Cortland carried the momentum right into the second matchup of the day. Although Binghamton put together more offense in Game 2, Cortland continued answering back every time momentum started to shift.
Jacob Schneider started on the mound and gave the team solid innings early before Jordan Varvaro came in and earned the win in relief. Varvaro said the team stayed composed even when the game became tighter later on.
“There was never really panic in the dugout,” Varvaro said. “We stayed relaxed and trusted each other to make plays.”
At the plate, Cortland once again got contributions throughout the lineup. Josh Butka finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored, an RBI, a double, and a stolen base. Shane Heinemann added two hits, scored three runs, drove in another, and stole three bases. Aiden Pacatte also made an impact by reaching base three times while driving in two runs.
Shane Heinemann said the team’s chemistry has continued improving as the season has gone on.
“It feels like everybody’s starting to really click together right now,” Heinemann said. “We’re having fun out there and playing loose.”
The doubleheader sweep gives Cortland another strong weekend at Gutchess and continues a season where the team has shown improvement in multiple areas. Between the pitching staff limiting damage and the offense consistently creating pressure with aggressive baserunning, the team continues finding ways to win games in different ways.
With the season continuing to move forward, the Red Dragons look to carry this momentum into their next stretch of games.