ITHACA, N.Y. – Lebanon Valley's Steffani Secola finished 2-for-4 with three RBI as the Dutchmen defeated Cortland, 6-3, to force a “winner-take-all” final Monday at noon at the NCAA Div. III Softball Regional, hosted by Ithaca College.
Cortland (31-15) entered Sunday's play needing one win to advance to the NCAA Div. III World Series. Lebanon Valley (36-6-1) opened play Sunday with a 4-2 in nine innings over St. John Fisher after rallying to tie the game with two runs in the top of the seventh.
The Dutchmen took a 4-0 lead over Cortland with four runs in the top of the third. Mary Readinger led off with an infield single and Katie Deardorff reached on a bunt single. After the runners were bunted to second and third, Tessa Deardorff reached on an error on a bunt, although the runners held.
Cortland pitcher
Amber Corrigan (Montgomery/Valley Central) got the next hitter to pop-up, but Allie Hartman drew a walk to force in a run and Secola hit a three-run double to left center to put the Dutchmen up 4-0.
Lebanon Valley added two runs in the fifth. The Dutchmen loaded the bases with no outs on a Sam Derr single, a Hartman walk and a Secola single. With one out, Emily Johnson drove in a run with a fielder's choice grounder, with an error on the play allowing all runners to be safe. Readinger plated the second run with a groundout to second.
Cortland was held hitless for the first three innings by Lebanon Valley starter Haley Neff. The Red Dragons threatened in the fourth with an
Erin Wolstenholme (Oneonta) one-out double and a
Carrie Stoddard (Liverpool) single, but left runners on first and third after a pop-up and groundout.
The Red Dragons scored their runs in the fifth.
Diane Cork (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton) led off with her ninth home run of the season.
Lucia Meola (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) then singled and
Alicia Hibbard (Canastota) hit a two-run homer to left – her sixth round-tripper of the spring – to cut Lebanon Valley's lead to 6-3.
Derr took over the pitching duties for Neff at that point and retired the next seven Cortland hitters until Meola doubled with one out in the seventh. With two outs,
Cassie Kardias (Shrub Oak/Lakeland) reached on an infield single to bring the potential tying run to the plate. Derr, however, induced a groundout to end the game for her third save of the season.
Neff, now 10-0 on the season, allowed five hits and four walks in four innings. She struck out two and gave up three runs. Derr struck out three and walked none in her three relief innings.
Corrigan dropped to 17-5 with the loss. She gave up only one earned run along with seven hits and two walks in seven innings and struck out six. Meola finished 2-for-2 with two walks, Hibbard was 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBI and Wolstenholme was 1-for-2 with a walk.
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