The nationally-ranked Oswego State baseball team came back from a 2-0 hole to beat host Oneonta 5-3 in 11 innings on Friday afternoon at Damaschke Field. With the win , Oswego – who is currently ranked No. 10 in D3baseball.com's Top 25 poll and 11th by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper – is 27-7 overall and 11-5 in the SUNYAC while the Red Dragons drop to 9-24, 5-11.
Saturday's league doubleheaders will determine seeding for next weekend's SUNYAC Championship. Oswego needs to win once against Oneonta on Saturday to secure the No. 2 seed. Cortland has already locked up the No. 1 seed and the right to host the tournament.
John Barnes played the role of hero on Friday as neither team could decide a winner through the 10th inning. After getting down in the count 0-2, the sophomore worked for three-straight balls for a pay-off pitch. Barnes roped the next pitch to deep right-center field and was off to the races. With Jordan Giller on first base after a lead-off walk, both men scored on the inside-the-park home run for a go-ahead and insurance tally. Mickey Putillo threw a third inning of relief in the bottom of the 11th, not allowing a run on the way to his second win of the year.
Early in the game, Oneonta picked up two runs in the bottom of the fourth before the Lakers started climbing back into the contest in the sixth and seventh. In the sixth with two outs, Oswego rallied behind Eric Hamilton getting plunked, a Myles Kutscher single to left and a Giller single. Giller's base knock through the right side was enough to get Hamilton to home and cut the Red Dragon lead to 2-1.
The following frame, Mike Dellicarri led off with a hit to right field and was moved into scoring position by a Zach Kollar sacrifice bunt. Colin Thompson singled to left to put runners on the corners with one out and Wes Randall brought in the tying run (Dellicarri) with a single of his own in the next at-bat. Randall and Thompson completed a double steal after a pitching change, and Brian Hamilton's ground out to short brought Thompson in for the first Oswego advantage of the day at 3-2. Oneonta would not go easily, however, retying the game at 3-3 with a run in the bottom of the eighth.
Putillo was paramount in relief, throwing 3.2 innings of one-hit ball. None of his innings were more important than when he entered the game with runners on second and third and only one out in the ninth with the game tied at 3-3. The senior struck out the first batter he faced on just three pitches and then induced a pop out to third to get out of the jam. Starting pitcher Robert Donnelly got the no-decision after throwing 7.0 innings, scattering 10 hits and allowing just two runs – only one of which was earned – while striking out five.
Oswego's doubleheader with Oneonta will begin at 12 p.m. on Saturday.
