ITHACA, N.Y. – Sophomore Donnalyn Cross (Binghamton/Chenango Valley) hit a three-run triple and also scored on the play to break a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning and Cortland posted a 7-1 victory over Rochester in the winner's bracket final of the NCAA Division III Regional at Ithaca College.

Cortland (43-6), ranked 10th in Division III, moves to Sunday's championship round versus Buffalo State at noon and needs just one more win, in two possible games, to earn a return trip to the NCAA Division III World Series. The Red Dragons' 43 victories this spring are a new school record, eclipsing the 42-win total by the 2003 team.

Rochester, ranked 19th in Division III, fell to 33-11 with the loss to Cortland and was eliminated later Saturday with a 3-2 loss to Buffalo State. Cortland and Buffalo State will be playing for the seventh, and possibly the eighth, time this season. Cortland swept a regular-season doubleheader versus the Bengals, but Buffalo State beat Cortland twice in three tries during the SUNYAC tournament. Cortland won 3-0 over the Bengals earlier in the NCAA regional.

Junior Katie Finch (Amsterdam/Broadalbin-Perth) earned her third victory in as many games during the regional and is 25-4 on the season. She allowed four hits and one run and struck out eight batters. She walked five hitters, but two were intentional.

Beth Ameno took the loss for Rochester and is 23-8 this spring. She gave up nine hits and six runs over six innings wth one walk and six strikeouts.

Cortland went ahead 1-0 in the top of the fourth on a solo homer by junior Emily Ringen (Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock) over the fence in straight-away center. Rochester came back with a run in the bottom of the inning, however – the first run Finch has allowed in the regional – to tie the game. Erin Clark walked with one out, went to second on a Juliana Nicholson sacrifice and scored on Brittany Celese's RBI double to deep right. Celeste and Linday Macaluso each finished 2-for-3 to account for all four of Rochester's hits.

In the top of the fifth, junior Jackie Begnoche (Montgomery/Valley Central) led off with a single down the left field line and junior Rose Morrison (Miller Place) beat out a slow grounder to second. Brooke Weidman's (Perkinsville/Wayland-Cohocton) then loaded the bases with a bunt single. Cross followed with her team-high 13th triple of the season to the gap in right center to score three runs. The throw came into the catcher, who walked back toward the circle and threw the ball to the pitcher. When she released the ball, Cross took off for home and beat the return throw to the plate to give Cortland a 5-1 lead.

The Red Dragons tallied two more runs in the seventh. Cross was hit by a pitch, was bunted to second, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a pinch-hit RBI single to left by freshman Steph LaDue (Cohoes). LaDue took second on the throw home and scored on a Ringen double to deep center.

Rochester's best threat versus Finch came with the game scoreless in the bottom of the third. Celeste singled up the middle and Macaluso beat out a bunt. The runners moved to second and third on a Katie McLean sacrifice bunt, and Cortland elected to intentionally walk Kim Grimes to load the bases with one out. Finch, however, struck out the next two batters to escape the jam.

Ringen finished the game 3-for-4 with a homer, double and two RBI. Cross was 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored and Begnoche went 2-for-3.

Box Score

Ithaca Regional Web Site