CORTLAND, N.Y. – Senior
Lucia Meola (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) went 3-for-4, including a three-run homer in her final career home at-bat, as Cortland defeated Nazareth, 10-2 in six innings, in the second game of a non-league doubleheader. The Red Dragons (24-14) also won the opener, 1-0, on a
Jamie Bucci (Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow) third-inning RBI single.
Cortland will begin SUNYAC Tournament play on Thursday at 11 a.m. in Brockport. The Red Dragons, seeded second in the six-team, double-elimination tournament, will face fifth-seeded New Paltz in the opening round. The tournament runs through Saturday, with a final game on Sunday if needed.
Game 1: Cortland 1, Nazareth 0 (Box Score)
An unearned run for Cortland was the difference as Red Dragon starter
Amber Corrigan (Montgomery/Valley Central) out-dueled Nazareth's Danae Wetherbee. Corrigan threw a four-hit shutout with seven strikeouts and three walks and is 10-4 on the season. Wetherbee allowed six hits with no walks or strikeouts in six innings.
Briana Barca (Eastchester) reached on an error to start the third and continued running to second after the ball reached the infield. She took third on a passed ball and scored on Bucci's single down the left field line.
Nazareth's best scoring threat came in the top of the third. Kailey Ritch walked, Morgan Ross, who finished 2-for-2, reached on an infield single and Maureen Rogers bunted the runners to second and third. Corrigan induced a lineout and a pop-up to end the inning. The Golden Flyers also stranded runners on second base in three other innings.
Game 2: Cortland 10, Nazareth 2 (6 inn.) (Box Score)
Cortland quickly turned a tight game into a eight-run rule stoppage with six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. With two on and one out, Meola crushed a three-run homer to right in what ended up being her final collegiate at-bat at Dragon Field.
The next three batters –
Alicia Hibbard (Canastota),
Beth Lamison (Liverpool) and
Makaylee Dowd (Saratoga Springs) – all singled to load the bases. A wild pitch scored Hibbard,
Krista Oakes (Akwesasne/Salmon River) walked in her first plate appearance of the season, and
Carrie Stoddard (Liverpool) ended the game with a two-run double to left center.
Cortland led 2-0 in the first on a Hibbard RBI double and a
Nicole Gallo (Mount Sinai) RBI single. The Red Dragons added two more in the third on a
Cassie Kardias (Shrub Oak/Lakeland) RBI single and Gallo's sacrifice fly.
Nazareth managed only five baserunners, two on errors, in the first four innings, but got back in the game in the fifth. Ritch walked with one out and scored on a Ross double to left center. Ross went to third on a two-out wild pitch and scored on a Sarah Cipperly RBI single to cut Cortland's lead to 4-2.
The Golden Flyers then loaded the bases on a Carly Pike single and a Shauna Bardanis walk.
Tiffany Sampere (Liverpool) entered and got the next hitter to ground out to end the inning. Sampere retired the side in order in the sixth and earned her fourth save of the season.
Sarah Salamone (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) pitched the first four and two-thirds innings for the win. She's 7-8 on the season and has won seven of her last eight decisions. She gave up six hits and two runs, walked two and struck out four. Pike pitched a complete game and took the loss for Nazareth (7-24).
In addition to Meola's 3-for-4 performance with three RBI and two runs scored, Hibbard was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs and Gallo went 1-for-1 with a walk, sacrifice fly and two RBI. Bardanis finished 2-for-2 and Ross was 2-for-3 for the Golden Flyers.
