COLUMBUS, GA. – Cortland, ranked 23rd nationally, opened its season with losses to seventh-ranked Christopher Newport, 4-2, and DePauw University, 10-3, at Day 1 of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Div. III Leadoff Classic. The Red Dragons will face Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at 12:30 p.m. and an opponent to be determined on Saturday.
Christopher Newport 4, Cortland 2 (Box Score)
The Captains (8-3) scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to break a 2-2 tie and earn the victory. Kristina McLaughlin tripled to lead off the sixth and scored on a Taylor Dillow pinch-hit single. The second run of the inning scored later on a one-out, bases-loaded wild pitch.
McLaughlin's solo homer in the third and Alexis Pope's homer in the fourth gave CNU a 2-0 lead. Cortland tied the game in the top of the sixth. Senior
Lucia Meola (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) and junior
Meaghan Kohler (Franklin, NJ/Warren Hills Regional) led off the inning with singles. Senior
Cassie Kardias (Shrub Oak/Lakeland) singled to drive in pinch-runner
Leah Saavedra (Walworth/Wayne Central), although CNU threw out pinch-runner
Makaylee Dowd (Saratoga Springs) trying to advance from first to third. Two batters later, senior
Nicole Gallo (Mount Sinai) reached on a two-out error to bring in Kardias with the tying run.
Cortland put the tying runs on base in the top of the seventh on a
Briana Barca (Eastchester) leadoff walk and a Meola two-out walk, but a flyout to end the game.
Kelley Foate went 3-for-4 and McLaughlin was 2-for-3 with a homer, triple and two runs scored for CNU. Whitney Haller earned the win in relief of Melanie Hazelwood.
Sophomore
Sarah Salamone (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) started for Cortland and allowed two runs in three and two-thirds innings. She gave up five hits and two walks and struck out three. Junior
Tiffany Sampere (Liverpool) suffered the loss after giving up two runs on four hits and two walks in an inning and a third. She fanned two batters. Junior
Amber Corrigan (Montgomery/Valley Central) pitched one scoreless inning officially after entering with two on and no outs in the sixth.
Kohler finished 2-for-4, Kardia was 1-for-3 with an RBI and Meola went 1-for-3 with a walk for the Red Dragons.
DePauw 10, Cortland 3 (Box Score)
DePauw struck for three runs in the top of the first and never trailed in a rematch of a 2011 NCAA Div. III World Series game that Cortland won, 14-8. Emily Dieckmann pitched five innings for the win, allowing three unearned runs on three hits and three walks. She struck out five. Dieckmann also went 3-for-3 with a walk and three RBI.
Cortland cut a 6-run deficit in half with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. After a leadoff double-error that allowed
Amanda Atkins (Clarence) to reach third base, freshman
Carrie Stoddard (Liverpool) was hit by a pitch and
Alicia Hibbard (Canastota) walked to load the bases with no outs. Dieckmann retired the next two batters, but pinch-hitter
Diane Cork (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton) followed with a two-run single. Meola walked to re-load the bases and Kohler hit an RBI single to make it a 6-3 game, but a flyout ended the rally.
The Tigers answered with three runs in the top of the sixth and added a run in the seventh.
Corrigan started for Cortland but was relieved with two outs in the first by junior
Krista Oakes (Akwesasne/Salmon River). Corrigan allowed three runs on three hits and three walks and Oakes gave up six runs on seven hits and three walks in four and two-thirds innings. Salamone permitted one unearned run on two hits over the final inning and two thirds.
Cork was 1-for-3 with two RBI. Kohler went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Meola was 1-for-2 with a walk.
