AUBURN, N.Y.  -- Little-used sophomore righty Matt Funk came out of the bullpen to pitch 5 2/3 scoreless innings and second-seeded SUNY Cortland scored the only runs of the game after there were two out and none on in the eighth inning in eliminating top-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University, 3-0, in the second round of the NCAA Division III Auburn, NY Regional Tournament Friday morning at Leo Pinckney Field at Falcon Park.

Eastern (32-8) ends the season on a four-game losing streak (the first three losses coming by a run) after bringing an 11-game winning streak into the third round of the Little East Conference Tournament eight days ago. 

Cortland (28-7) advances to Saturday competition in the double-elimination tournament looking for its second straight regional title and third in five years. Eastern has lost its last seven NCAA games over its last four appearances.

Against Cortland, Eastern stranded nine runners in the game -- six in scoring position -- and was shut out for the first time this year by Cortland senior starter Zack Durant and Funk, who combined on a six-hitter with six strikeouts, three walks and two hit batters.

Eastern's failure to produce timely  hits and manufacture runs ruined the second straight standout start in the post-season by sophomore righty Billy Oldham (Brookfield). Oldham (4-1), who had no-hit the University of Southern Maine over the first six innings of a Little East Conference championship loss one week ago, was nearly as effective against Cortland Friday.

Oldham matched Durant and Funk in a scoreless pitchers' duel heading into the eighth inning. Oldham never allowed more than one hit in an inning, giving up only seven singles while fanning seven without a walk. 

Although he had pitched only 8 1/3 innings in five brief appearances this year and only 15 innings in his two-year career, Funk (1-0)  spaced two singles over the final 5 2/3 innings, fanning five, walking one and hitting a batter to gain his first career win.

Funk was summoned with two runners in scoring position and only one out in the bottom of the fourth after Durant -- Cortland's only first-team all-conference pitcher -- was removed after experiencing pain in his throwing shoulder. Senior DH Jack Rich (Meriden) had singled with one out in the fourth and moved to third on senior centerfielder Ryan Bagdasarian's (Glastonbury) double over the third base bag -- both hits coming on 0-2 pitches. Enter Funk, who got quickly ahead of junior shortstop Owen Marica (Haddam) and got him on a hard line drive out to center and ended the inning on a foul popout to  sophomore first baseman Matthew Krafft.

While Funk was retiring 11 of 12 Eastern batters, Cortland capitalized in the eighth by scoring three times after Oldham had set down the first two batters of the inning. Krafft ended Oldham's day by getting things going with a single to center and the Red Dragons scored their runs without getting the ball out of the infield on an intentional walk, hit batter, infield single, three stolen bases and an infield throwing error. 

With the bases loaded and the game still scoreless, junior righty Zach Player (East Hampton) -- making his first pitching appearance in three weeks -- induced a squibbler to the left of the mound on a 3-2 pitch to Cortland junior shortstop Ben Rhodes that, by rights, should have ended the inning and kept the game scoreless. However, the ball found a perfect place, as a charging Eastern senior third baseman Luke Broadhurst's (Stafford) desperation swipe on an in-between hop resulted in him juggling the ball as Rhodes beat the throw to first, allowing the first two runs of the game to cross the plate.

An infield throwing error accounted for a final, and as it turned out, inconsequential run in that eighth inning.

Facing a three-run deficit, Eastern threatened in the eighth when senior leftfielder John Mesagno (Tappan, NY) led off with his team-leading 11th post-season hit and moved to third on junior first baseman Dean Slavin's (Tappan, NY) two-out bloop single to right.  Funk, however, ended the inning with a three-pitch strikeout.
Eastern's season ended  when sophomore second baseman Andrew Michalski  fielded a routine ground ball to began a game-ending 4-6-3 double play with one out and a runner on in the ninth.

Ranked fourth nationally in team fielding percentage, Cortland got perfect defense from the left side of its infield in senior third baseman Daniel Coleman and Rhodes at short, who combined on nine assists and three putouts Coleman had five assists -- including a double play when he fielded a ground ball and stepped on third before throwing across the diamond that got the Red Dragons out of a bases-loaded, none out jam in the bottom of the first that set the tone for the game.

Eastern played the game without senior No. 5 hitter Holden White (Wallingford), the team's third-leading hitter at .384, who was serving a one-game suspension after being ejected by home plate umpire Peter Lakkis after striking out to end Thursday's 2-1 first-round tournament loss to Merchant Marine.

Featuring a team .326 batting average through the LEC tournament, the Warriors managed just .194 and two extra-base hits off three pitchers in the regionals. In the tournament, five Eastern pitchers combined on a 2.00 ERA, fanning 15 batters and walking only four and giving up only four earned runs.