SALISBURY, MD. – Senior Nicole Gallo (Mount Sinai) finished 4-for-5 with five RBI, including a three-run double that broke a tie in the fifth inning, as Cortland opened play at the Salisbury Invitational with an 11-9 win over Capital University of Ohio. The Red Dragons then lost to the nationally 17th-ranked host Sea Gulls, 8-2, as Salisbury rallied from a 2-0 deficit entering the bottom of the fifth.

Cortland (5-5) will play Saturday versus Capital at 11 a.m. and Salisbury at 3 p.m. in the pre-determined schedule. The times have moved a half hour earlier than originally scheduled.

Cortland 11, Capital 9 (Box Score)

Cortland grabbed an early 6-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning with a seven-hit inning that featured RBI singles by Meaghan Kohler (Franklin, NJ/Warren Hills Regional) and Cassie Kardias (Shrub Oak/Lakeland), a Gallo run-scoring double and a Devynn Wilder (Oswego) two-run single.

Capital responded with three runs in the second on an error and RBI singles by Devan Boggs and Kelsey Swain. The Crusaders (6-3) tied the game in the third on a Katie Neely RBI double and a Swain two-run single.

Gallo's two-out, three-run double in the fifth gave Cortland a 9-6 lead. Capital scored twice in the sixth on RBI singles by Katlyn Simpson and Sarah Nist, but the Red Dragons got those runs back in the bottom of the inning on a Kardias sacrifice fly and a Gallo RBI single. The Crusaders scored once in the seventh and had the bases loaded with two outs, but a groundout ended the game.

Junior Krista Oakes (Akwesasne/Salmon River) entered in relief to start the fourth with the score tied 6-6-6. She retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth innings and eventually earned the win despite allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits in four innings. She struck out three and did not walk anyone.

Gallo finished 4-for-5 with two doubles and five RBI and Kardias was 2-for-2 with a walk, two RBI and two runs. Amber Corrigan (Montgomery/Valley Central) was Cortland's starting pitcher and played the rest of the game in left field. She allowed seven hits, one walk and only two earned runs in three innings and was 2-for-3 with two runs at the plate.

Also for the Red Dragons, Kohler was 2-for-5 with an RBI and Wilder finished 1-for-3.

Boggs led Capital's offense with a 3-for-5 performance. She scored twice and drove in a run. Neely went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs and Swain was 2-for-5 with three RBI.

Salisbury 8, Cortland 2 (Box Score)

Cortland grabbed a 1-0 lead on a Kardias solo homer in the second and added to its lead in the third on Lucia Meola's (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) RBI single. The Red Dragons had a chance for a bigger inning in the third with the bases loaded and one out, but Salisbury starter Kathryn Larson struck out the next two batters.

Sarah Salamone (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) started for Cortland and shut out the Sea Gulls (14-2) for four innings. In the fifth, however, Salisbury tied the game on pinch hitter Paige Knussman's two-out, two-run single and took the lead when two runs scored on an error two batters later.

Salisbury broke the game open with four runs in the sixth. Harley Hill, Hannah Mills and Sarah Alpaugh each singled in runs during the inning.

Freshman Diane Cork (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton) went 2-for-4, Meola was 1-for-3 with a walk and RBI and Kardias finished 1-for-3 with the solo homer for Cortland. Mills finished 2-for-3 for the Sea Gulls, who out-hit Cortland by a 10-5 count.