ONEONTA, N.Y. – Host and top seed Oneonta captured its first State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) title in 10 years and its fourth overall after defeating defending league champion Cortland, 8-0 in five innings, in the championship round of the conference's six-team, double-elimination tournament.
Oneonta (29-9) finished unbeaten at the tournament and earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Div. III playoffs. Cortland (28-15) staved off elimination earlier in the day Saturday with a 10-6 win over Brockport. Cortland advanced to the SUNYAC championship round for the 17th consecutive season – the Red Dragons have won eight league titles and have finished second nine times since 1998.
Three Cortland players – senior first baseman
Alicia Hibbard (Canastota), senior catcher
Briana Barca (Eastchester) and sophomore outfielder
Diane Cork (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton) – were named to the SUNYAC all-tournament team. Barca batted .538 (7-for-13) with three RBI and was hit by pitches twice in five tournament games. Hibbard hit .500 (9-of-18) with a walk and two runs scored and Cork was .429 (6-of-14) with two homers, seven RBI, four walks and five runs scored.
Cortland 10, Brockport 6 (Box Score/Play-by-Play)Barca's two-run triple in the bottom of the fifth broke a 5-5 tie as Cortland avenged a loss to Brockport earlier in the tournament.
Meaghan Kohler (Franklin, NJ/Warren Hills Regional) provided insurance runs with a two-run homer during a three-run sixth.
Five Red Dragons had multiple hits as part of a 15-hit attack.
Jamie Bucci (Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow) went 3-for-4 with a run scored. Barca finished 2-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch and two RBI. Hibbard,
Devynn Wilder (Oswego) and
Erin Wolstenholme (Oneonta) each went 2-for-4, with Wolstenholme hitting a solo homer.
Kohler and
Rosie Phillips (Geneva/Our Lady of Mercy) each drove in two runs and Cork singled, walked twice and registered a sacrifice bunt in four plate appearances.
Sarah Rosenbarker was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Amanda Yuhas drove in two runs for Brockport (25-11).
Cortland scored on a wild pitch in the first. Brockport took the lead in the fourth on a Yuhas two-run single, but Wolstenholme's homer tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Later in the frame, Wilder and Barca each singled and Phillips hit a two-run double, followed two batters later by a Cork RBI single.
Brockport tied the game at 5-5 with three runs in the fifth. Brianna Ferchen hit an RBI triple, Emily Dumas doubled home a run and Rosenbarker added an RBI single.
Sarah Salamone (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) entered in relief in the fifth. She allowed the tying single to Rosenbarker, but settled down after that and gave up only one hit, one walk and no runs the rest of the way for the victory.
Oneonta 8, Cortland 0 (5 inn.) (Box Score/Play-by-Play)Tournament MVP Sabrina DeAngelis threw a three-hit shutout with one strikeout over five innings for Oneonta. She is 17-5 on the season.
The host Red Dragons grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first on a Marlene Cuevas RBI single. Oneonta's big rally came in the third inning. With two outs and no one on, the Red Dragons registered seven straight hits to produce six runs and a 7-0 lead. Big hits in the rally included a Brianna Rivera RBI single, a Nicole Marzillo two-run double, a Kristyn Neroda RBI single, Katie O'Gorman's RBI double and Meaghan Foster's run-scoring infield single.
Trying to avoid the game ending on the eight-run rule, Cortland put two runners on in the fourth on singles by Cork and Hibbard, but a pair of groundouts ended the threat. Oneonta ended the game in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the fifth. Rivera led off with a single, and with two outs pinch runner Nicole Brieva scored on an O'Gorman double to right center.
Cuevas, Rivera and O'Gorman joined DeAngelis on the all-tournament team. Cuevas, Rivera, Neroda and O'Gorman each finished 2-for-3. O'Gorman and Marzillo each drove in two runs.
Hibbard, Phillips and Cork each went 1-for-2 for Cortland. Salamone started and took the loss after giving up four runs on six hits in two and two thirds innings.
Tournament Web Page2014 SUNYAC Softball All-Tournament TeamMVP – Sabrina DeAngelis (Oneonta)
Marlene Cuevas (Oneonta)
Brianna Rivera (Oneonta)
Katie O'Gorman (Oneonta)
Diane Cork (Cortland)
Alicia Hibbard (Cortland)
Briana Barca (Cortland)
Brianna Ferchen (Brockport)
Andrea Schell (Brockport)
Shelly Maggard (Buffalo St.)
Joanna Bardak (Buffalo St.)
