CORTLAND, N.Y. - Ithaca's Chelsey Feldman singled in a run in the top of the 11th inning to break a 5-5 tie and the Bombers, tied for 19th nationally in Division III, edged Cortland, 6-5, in the opening game of a non-league doubleheader. Ithaca also won the second game, 3-1, behind a six-hitter from Carly Myers. Cortland, which rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the seventh inning of the opener, falls to 8-6 with the losses.
The first game took two hours, 25 minutes to complete. Cortland took a 1-0 lead in the fourth when Tina Milani (Hopewell Junction/John Jay East Fishkill) singled, moved to second on a sacrifice, went to third on a groundout and scored on Crystal Carlson's (Lancaster/Iroquois) two-out infield single. Ithaca tied the game in the sixth on Erica Cutspec's second triple of the game with one out and an infield RBI single by pitcher Nicole Cade.
Ithaca scored three runs in the top of the seventh. Jessica Stangarone doubled with one out. Caitlin Ryan then hit a ball toward short that hit Stangarone, who was originally ruled out. The call was then reversed, however, when it was determined that Cortland's fielders had already made a play on the ball before it hit the runner. Pinch-hitter Alyssa Serinis drove in a run with an infield single and an error two batters later allowed two runs to score.
Cortland tied the game in the bottom of the seventh without the benefit of a hit. Carlson walked and Amanda Barnett (Syracuse/Jamesville-DeWitt) reached when Ithaca's first baseman dropped a throw on a potential groundout. A passed ball and a Brooke Weidman (Perkinsville/Wayland-Cohocton) walk loaded the bases and Rose Morrison's (Miller Place) groundout scored a run.
Donnalyn Cross (Binghamton/Chenango Valley) then hit a grounder to the pitcher, who threw home. The catcher, however, thought a force play was in order, however, and failed to make a tag to allow a run. She also threw late to first, and Cross took off for second when the ball was thrown to the pitcher. She beat the throw to second, and Weidman came in to score the tying run. Ithaca intentionally walked the next two batters - two of nine intentional passes issued in the game, including six by the Bombers - to load the bases. Cade then got the next hitter to hit into a pitcher-catcher-first base double play to end the inning and force extra frames.
The NCAA tiebreaker rule, where a runner is placed on second base to start the inning, went into effect in the eighth. Ithaca scored in the top of the inning on an RBI double by Stangarone, but Cortland tied the game in the bottom of the inning on Barnett's two-out RBI single to left center.
Ithaca had a runner on third with no outs in the 10th but couldn't score. Cortland also stranded a runner on third in the inning. In the 11th, Ryan bunted the runner over to third and Feldman's single to second scored the run. Cortland pushed its runner to third with one out in the bottom of the 11th, and Ithaca decided to intentionally walk the next to hitters to load the bases. A grounder to second resulted in an out at home, and a lineout to first ended the game.
Katie FInch (Amsterdam/Broadalbin-Perth) pitched all 11 innings for Cortland. She allowed 10 hits and six runs, two earned (runners who score after being placed on second for tiebreakers are unearned runs). She struck out four and walked four. Milani finished 1-for-2 with four walks, three intentional. Cade allowed four hits in 10 innings for the win, with Carly Myers pitching the 11th for the save.
Cortland took an early 1-0 lead in the nightcap. Cross led off with a single and moved to second on a groundout. Annemarie Nelson (Nassau/Columbia) then hit a fly ball to deep right. Cross tagged up, went to third, and decided to keep running home and scored as the relay throw was off the mark.
Ithaca tied the game in the fourth. Ryan reached on a one-out error and scored on a two-out double by Kait Dolan. In the sixth, Amanda Kowalsick and Cutspec led off with back-to-back singles. A fielder's choice put runners on first and third and Stacy Pelesz drove in the run with a sacrifice fly. The Bombers added an insurance run on a Dolan RBI single in the seventh.
Cortland posted a final threat in the bottom of the sevent. Barnett hit a pinch-hit single with two outs and Morrison doubled to right, but Ithaca threw out the runner at home to end the game.
Dolan finished 2-for-4 with two RBI for Ithaca (9-5). Myers struck out three and walked two for the victory. Cross went 2-for-3 for the Red Dragons. Diana Perez (Blauvelt/Tappan Zee) pitched the first thee and one-third innings and allowed just two hits and one unearned run. Danielle Singer (Binghamton), Cortland's second reliever, suffered the loss after giving up six hits and two runs in three innings.
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score