The No. 3 Oswego State baseball team was eliminated from the 2014 SUNYAC Championship with a 3-2 loss to No. 2 Brockport in a game that was suspended on Saturday night and needed just eight minutes to finish on Sunday as the squads started from the bottom of the eighth inning.
Brockport struck first on Saturday, earning three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. At that point, Ryan Brinkman was in his fourth inning of relief as Tim Cronin was taken out after just an inning of work. Cronin allowed no runs and just one hit in the inning but was plagued by an injury that led to the pitching change.
John-Michael Guarino did not allow a run in the sixth inning but worked into some trouble in the seventh, forcing Dylan Kohlman to the rubber with the bases loaded and no outs. Kohlman worked masterfully, striking out his first batter looking before inducing a foul out to third and a fly out to right field.
Oswego scored its first run of the game in the top of six to cut the Golden Eagles' lead to 3-1. Dan Saccocio tripled to right center with one out and eventually scored on a Tim Smith fielder's choice.
The Lakers looked to complete the comeback in the top of the eighth inning as darkness set in on Saturday night. Smith singled up the middle with Saccocio on-base, driving him in to push Oswego to within one. Kyle Liner came up with two outs and Scott Buniak on second and Smith on first. Liner grounded to short and, with runners moving on contact, the shortstop bobbled the ball. Buniak tried scoring on the play and seemed to have snuck under the tag at home as the throw from short came in high, but the umpire ruled the tag beat Buniak's hand reaching the plate.
When the two teams resumed at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Josh Martin took the mound for the Lakers in the bottom of the eighth. After a lead-off single, Martin got the number one hitter to line out to first for an unassisted double play as Tom Curry just stepped on first as the runner had taken off for second. Kohlman ended the inning striking out the final batter looking.
Oswego could not muster a hit in the top of the ninth, allowing Brockport to escape with the victory and advance to play No. 1 Cortland in the championship round.
Smith finished 3-for-4 with two RBI against the Golden Eagles while Saccocio, Buniak and Eric Hamilton each had a hit.
The Lakers will return to the diamond at 2 p.m. on Wednesday as they head to Utica College for a doubleheader.
