Cortland, NY - Junior rightfielder
ETHAN BOYD (Perth Amboy, NJ/Perth Amboy) was 3-for-4, including the go-ahead RBI single in the top of the 10th inning, as Montclair State defeated nationally 15th-ranked SUNY Cortland, 3-2, in 2004 season finale for both teams.
The Red Hawks finished the season at 25-16 with the win, while Cortland, which earned one of the three at-large bids to the NCAA Division III Championship fell to 28-14.
Montclair's winning rally started when
DANNY RODRIGUEZ (South Brunswick, NJ) was hit by a Matt Miller (Harrison) pitch to lead off the 10th.
ANTHONY MASSONI's (Staten Island/St. Peter's) bunt went through Miller's legs, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Boyd followed with his run-scoring single.
Miller falls to 7-2 with the loss. Montclair starter
JAIRO MENDEZ (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) improved his record to 7-2 with nine and one-third innings of seven-hit ball. He struck out five and walked one and allowed two runs, one earned. He gave up a run in both the first and second innings before blanking the Red Dragons until the 10th.
Mendez hit Kyle Bestine (Westfield) with a pitch to lead off the 10th and then got Adam Sidebottom (Lockport/Starpoint) to hit into a fielder's choice back to the mound. Sidebottom stole second, but reliever Lou Wieben (Secaucus, NJ/St. Mary's) struck out a batter for the second out.
ALEX THOMPSON (Whippany, NJ/Whippany) then entered the game and got Andy Mead (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker) to fly out to the warning track in left field to end the game and earn his fifth save of the season.
Cortland took a 1-0 lead in the first when Josh Young (Rochester/Brighton) reached on a bunt single, stole second, moved to third on a Mead flyout and scored on Josh Horner's (Groton) sacrifice fly to right. In the second, Steve Newman (Henrietta/Rush-Henrietta) walked with one out, advanced to second on a balk and scored when Jimmy Basnight (East Norwich/St. Dominic) reached on an error.
The Red Hawks got a run back in the third off Cortland starter Mike Hubbs (Averill Park/Tamarac).
BRIAN BUTLER (Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo) was hit by a pitch with one out and Boyd's single moved pinch-runner Massoni to second. With two outs,
MATT BENEDETTI (Summit, NJ/Summit) singled to drive in the run. Montclair tied the game in the fifth versus reliever Mike Burnett (Westfield). Rodriguez singled, moved to second on a groundout and went to third on a Boyd single. Boyd then stole second, and Rodriguez scored when the throw hit Boyd and went into the outfield.
Cortland stranded runners on third in the second and fifth innings. In the ninth, Nate Gagnon (Wilton/South Glens Falls) doubled with one out, but Mendez struck out the next batter and got a groundout to end the threat. Hubbs allowed three hits and one run in three innings. He struck out one and walked two.
Burnett permitted three hits and one unearned run in two and two-third innings. He fanned two batters. Miller gave up just one hit – Boyd's 10th inning single – and two walks in three and one-third innings. Jason Chyr (Vernon/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) recorded one out in the 10th and Nick McPartland (Beacon) induced a lineout double play on the only batter he faced to end the 10th.
Neal Heaton Jr. (Bellport) was 2-for-4 with a double for the Red Dragons.
