EAU CLAIRE, WIS. – Cortland hit three home runs, including a
Cassie Kardias (Shrub Oak/Lakeland) grand slam, and the Red Dragons defeated 18th-ranked Luther College, 9-1, during the second day of the NCAA Div. III Softball World Series. The game was called after five innings due to the eight-run rule.
Cortland (34-15) is 2-0 at the eight-team, double-elimination tournament and will face seventh-ranked Tufts University in the winner's bracket final Sunday at 5 p.m. (Central). The Red Dragons are off to a 2-0 start for the first time in the program's eight World Series appearances. Cortland is guaranteed at least a third-place national finish at the Series. The Red Dragons' previous best national finish was fourth place with a 2-2 record in 2011.
Junior
Amber Corrigan (Montgomery/Valley Central) earned her 20th win of the season after allowing only three hits in five innings. She walked two and struck out one. Luther starter Becca Girvan, now 23-6, gave up six hits and nine runs, three earned, with three walks and four strikeouts in four innings.
Cortland led 1-0 in the top of the first when
Lucia Meola (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) walked and
Alicia Hibbard (Canastota) hit an RBI double to left center.
Diane Cork (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton) and Meola hit back-to-back solo homers with one out in the third to extend the lead to 3-0.
Luther scored in the third on a Kelsey Weindruch sacrifice fly, but Cortland exploded for six runs with two outs in the top of the fourth.
Briana Barca (Eastchester) was hit by a pitch and
Jamie Bucci (Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow) reached on an error. Cork walked to load the bases, Meola hit a two-run single to left and Hibbard singled to re-load the bases. Kardias then hit a blast estimated to travel at least 270 feet for her grand slam and a 9-1 lead.
Meola finished 2-for-2 with a walk, three RBI and three runs scored and Hibbard was 2-for-2 with a walk, RBI and run scored. Cork ended 1-for-2 with a walk, RBI and two runs and Kardias was 1-for-3 with four RBI.
Box Score/Play-by-Play
Watch Game Replay
Day 2 Video Recap (all four games)
Cortland Post-Game Press Conference
