BROCKPORT, N.Y. – Brockport clinched the SUNYAC regular-season title and the right to host next week's six-team conference tournament with a sweep of Cortland, 5-4 and 10-7. The Golden Eagles are 19-13 overall and 13-2 in the SUNYAC with two games left.
Cortland drops into a three-way tie for second at 11-5, along with Plattsburgh and Geneseo, and is 18-14 overall. The Red Dragons play their final two league games Saturday at Geneseo and, depending on the outcome, will be either the second, third or fourth seed in the SUNYAC tournament.
Cortland senior
Lucia Meola (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) finished with four hits in the doubleheader, and in the process became the fifth player in program history to reach 200 career hits. She currently ranks fourth at Cortland with 203 hits. The other 200-hit players are Donnalyn Cross (260 from 2008-11), Julie Gentner (224 from 2000-03), June Maloney (205 from 1995-98) and Carin Piacente (200 from 2001-04).
Game 1: Brockport 5, Cortland 4 (Box Score)
Emily Dumas hit a two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to turn a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 Brockport lead. Jaime Berger threw a complete game for the win, allowing seven hits, three walks and four runs. She struck out six.
Brockport took a 2-0 lead in the first on a Susanna Johnson two-run double. Cortland got a run back in the third on a
Diane Cork (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton) leadoff homer and tied the game in the fourth when
Cassie Kardias (Shrub Oak/Lakeland) led off with a double and scored on a
Courtney Kadish (Williamsville/Williamsville North) two-out single up the middle.
The Red Dragons went up 4-2 in the fifth. Meola singled down the left field line with two outs for her milestone 200th career hit and junior
Alicia Hibbard (Canastota) hit a two-run homer to left.
Amber Corrigan (Montgomery/Valley Central) struck out eight batters in six innings for the Red Dragons. She was charged with nine hits and five runs and walked three.
For Brockport, Dumas finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and Jenna Yates was 2-for-4.
Game 2: Brockport 10, Cortland 7 (Box Score)
Cortland lost despite outhitting Brockport, 11-10. Meola went 3-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored, Hibbard was 2-for-3 with a homer, two RBI and two runs and Cork finished 2-for-3 with a double, walk and RBI.
Hibbard hit a two-run homer in the first, and
Sammy Cirillo's (Clay/Cicero-North Syracuse) RBI single in the second pushed Cortland's lead to 3-1. Brockport, however, took the lead on an Erika Lazzaro three-run homer in the bottom of the second and never trailed from that point.
The Golden Eagles scored an unearned run in the third and pushed across three runs in the fifth on RBI singles by Dumas and Johnson and a Julie Arnold sacrifice fly. Dumas finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and Johnson was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Cortland got a run back on a Cork RBI double in the sixth, but Brockport scored twice in the bottom of the frame.
Cortland mounted one last comeback down 10-4 entering the seventh. Meola, Hibbard and Kardias each singled to load the bases with no outs.
Nicole Gallo (Mount Sinai) drove in a run with a groundout and
Erin Wolstenholme (Oneonta) hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Hibbard. Kadish laced a double down the left field line to drive in Kardias, but a foul pop-up ended the game with the potential tying run on deck.
Korey Kibling won for Brockport despite giving up 11 hits, three walks and seven runs in seven innings. She fanned five batters.
Sarah Salamone (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) started for Cortland and took the loss.
