CORTLAND, N.Y. – Nina Korn hit a two-run homer in the top of the eighth to break a scoreless tie as the University of Rochester defeated Cortland, 2-0, to complete a non-league doubleheader sweep of the Red Dragons. Rochester (9-7) won the opener, 3-1, after scoring three runs in the top of the seventh to overcome a 1-0 deficit.
GAME 1: Rochester 3, Cortland 1 (Box Score)Cortland's
Sarah Salamone (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) and Rochester's Brittany Grage engaged in the first of two pitchers' duels in the doubleheader. Salamone, now 6-1, threw six shutout innings before allowing three runs in the seventh. She gave up only three hits and no walks and struck out one in six and a third innings. Grage gave up seven hits, no walks and one unearned run and registered six strikeouts, also in six and a third innings.
Cortland took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning.
Rosie Phillips (Geneva/Our Lady of Mercy) singled and
Diane Cork (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton) bunted for a single. A throwing error on the play moved the runners to second and third. A fielder's choice grounder resulted in Phillips being thrown out at home, but an
Alicia Hibbard (Canastota) grounder plated Cork from third. Hibbard reached on an error on the play, but Rochester escaped further damage by getting a double play grounder to end the inning.
Rochester left runners stranded on second base in the first, fourth and sixth innings and a runner on third in the fifth. Cortland missed a chance to extend its lead in the bottom of the sixth. The Red Dragons had their first two hitters reach on an error and a hit-by-pitch before Grage retired the side.
Alyssa Murillo opened the seventh with a single and Lauren Muni was hit by a pitch. Stephanie Brunet's sac bunt moved the runners to second and third and Laurelle Byrne-Cody reached on a fielder's choice with the tying run scoring on the play. Reliever
Amber Corrigan (Montgomery/Valley Central), following a Byrne-Cody stolen base, got the next batter out before Tayler Fravel singled to left to drive in the go-ahead runs.
In Cortland's seventh, Phillips and Cork each singled with one out. Eleni Wechsler took over in the circle and recorded a foul-out and a strikeout for her first save of the season.
Cork finished 3-for-4 and Phillips was 2-for-3 to total five of Cortland's seven hits.
GAME 2: Rochester 2, Cortland 0 (8 inn.) (Box Score)Rochester scored twice in the top of the eighth to complete the sweep. Fravel led off with a single and, one out later, Korn hit her fourth homer of the season over the left-field fence. The Yellowjackets missed on a good scoring chance in the sixth when they left the bases loaded.
Wechsler outdueled
Alexandrea Flint (Dalton/Keshequa) for the win. Wechsler gave up seven hits and no walks and fanned six for the complete-game shutout. She's now 5-2 on the year. Flint was charged with seven hits and a walk and she struck out three batters before being pulled with two outs in the eighth.
Cortland (13-11) had a rally in the bottom of the eighth fall short. Cork led off with an infield single, stole second, and went to third on a Bucci infield single. Wechsler, however, struck out the next batter.
Meaghan Kohler (Franklin, NJ/Warren Hills Regional) followed with a hard liner that was caught by the second baseman, who then threw to first for the game-ending double play. The Red Dragons also left the bases loaded in the third inning and on first and second in the fourth.
Fravel went 3-for-4 and Korn was 2-for-4 with two RBI for Rochester. Cork and Bucci each finished 2-for-4 for Cortland.
The Red Dragons will host SUNYAC doubleheaders Friday versus Geneseo at 3 p.m., Saturday versus Brockport at noon and Sunday against Potsdam at noon.
