ITHACA, N.Y. – Junior Katie Finch (Amsterdam/Broadalbin-Perth) threw a two-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts and junior Emily Ringen (Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock) hit a three-run homer in the first inning as Cortland defeated Buffalo State, 6-0, in the championship game of the NCAA Division III Softball Regional at Ithaca College. Buffalo State had forced a final winner-take-all game by defeating Cortland, 6-2, in the first game of the day.

Cortland (44-7) earned its second straight trip to the eight-team Division III World Series and its sixth overall. The Red Dragons will face Tufts University (42-1) in the opening round Friday, May 15, at 4 p.m. at Montclair State University in New Jersey.

Cortland and Buffalo State (33-14) played eight times this season, with Cortland winning five of the matchups. They played a regular-season doubleheader, which Cortland swept, before the Bengals won 2-of-3 matchups at last weekend's SUNYAC tournament in Cortland. They also met earlier in the NCAA regional (a 3-0 Cortland win) prior to their two games in the championship round.

Finch, now 26-5 on the year, retired the first nine batters she faced before allowing a Julie Joyce infield single to start the fourth. She also allowed two baserunners in the fifth on a walk and hit batter and gave up a one-out single to Nicole Maher in the sixth.

Cortland scored all the runs it needed in the first when sophomore Donnalyn Cross (Binghamton/Chenango Valley) singled, senior Crystal Carlson (Lancaster/Iroquois) walked and Ringen hit a three-run shot to left for fourth homer of the season.

The lead grew to 4-0 in the second when junior Jackie Begnoche (Montgomery/Valley Central) singled, was bunted to second by Rose Morrison (Miller Place) and scored on a two-out single up the middle by Cross. In the third, freshman Jessica Harman (Penfield) walked with two outs and senior Bethany Williamson (Lyons Falls/South Lewis) hit an RBI double to right center. Cortland's final run came in the sixth as Begnoche singled and eventually scored on a Carlson RBI single to left.

Cross finished 3-for-4 and Begnoche was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Finch, Cross, Begnoche and Ringen represented Cortland on the regional all-tournament team.

In Sunday's first game, Buffalo State scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth to knock out Finch and erase a 2-1 deficit. Jenna Frieling earned the victory despite allowing 10 hits and three walks in seven innings. Cortland left nine runners on base, seven in scoring position.

Cortland loaded the bases with no outs in two separate innings, but only scored one run in each inning. In the third, Brooke Weidman (Perkinsville/Wayland-Cohocton) beat out an infield single, Cross walked and Carlson reached on a bunt single. Ringen hit a deep fly ball to center that resulted in a sacrifice fly, but a double play on the next batter ended the inning.

In the fifth, the Red Dragons took a 2-1 lead when Cross singled, went to second on a wild pitch and took third on a Carlson bunt single. Carlson advanced to second on the play, and Ringen was intentionally walked to load the bases. Sammi Dieffenbach (Erin/Horseheads) hit an apparent single to right, but was thrown out at first for what amounted to an RBI groundout. A shallow flyout and a groundout ended the inning.

Buffalo State tied the game at 1-1 in the third when Joyce singled with two outs, took second on a wild pitch and scored on a Maher single up the middle. The Bengals grabbed the lead in the fifth on RBI singles from Joyce and Jolene Banach, and Nicole Sabuda hit a two-run homer down the left field line to put the Bengals up 5-2. The final run scored later in the inning on a Sara Morse bases-loaded walk.

Finch suffered the loss in the opener. She gave up six hits and five runs over four and two-third innings. She struck out five batters, and her combined 16 strikeouts in the two games gives her 315 in 207 and a third innings this season.

Joyce finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and Sabuda had two RBI for the Bengals. Cross, Carlson and Weidman were each 2-for-3 for the Red Dragons.

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score (championship game)

Ithaca Regional Web Site

World Series Web Site