CORTLAND, N.Y. – Cortland split two games during the second day of the SUNYAC Softball Tournament at home, rallying from a 3-0 deficit to defeat Buffalo State, 8-4, before losing to Geneseo, 8-5, after allowing eight runs in the top of the fourth inning.
Cortland (32-11) needs to win three straight games – two Saturday and one Sunday – in order to win the league title. The Red Dragons will face Brockport at 11 a.m., with that winner playing Geneseo at 1:30 p.m. to start the championship round. If Geneseo wins that game, the Knights win the title. If Geneseo loses, the same two teams would play Sunday at noon in the championship round.
Cortland 8, Buffalo St. 4 (Box Score)
Buffalo State took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first on a Kate Brownell two-run triple and an error on a ball hit by Kara Stein. Cortland answered to tie the game in the bottom of the second on a
Courtney Kadish (East Amherst/Williamsville North) RBI double and sacrifice flies by
Carrie Stoddard (Liverpool) and
Rosie Phillips (Geneva/Our Lady of Mercy).
The Red Dragons took the lead in the third on solo homers from
Niki Barbato (East Meadow/Holy Trinity) and
Erin Wolstenholme (Oneonta). The Bengals scored with two outs in the fourth on a Jean Stahl double and Stephanie Novo RBI single, but Cortland got that run back in the bottom of the inning on a
Diane Cork (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton) RBI double.
Cortland tallied two insurance runs in the fifth. Phillips drove in a run with a fielder's choice grounder, with a throwing error after the force out allowing a second run to score.
Alexandrea Flint (Dalton/Keshequa), who entered in relief in the second, earned the victory with five and two thirds innings of four-hit ball. She struck out three, walked one and allowed one run.
Andrea Schoonmaker (Poughkeepsie/Marlboro) went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored, while Wolstenholme, Barbato and Cork each finished 2-for-4 with an RBI. Wolstenholme also scored twice, and Phillips ended 1-for-2 with two RBI.
Novo went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Brownell was 1-for-3 with two RBI for Buffalo State (18-17).
Geneseo 8, Cortland 5 (Box Score)
In a matchup of teams that each started 2-0 in the tournament, Cortland struck first when Kadish hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the second following a Schoonmaker two-out walk.
Cortland starter
Jamie Lachall (Philadelphia, PA/Sun Valley) allowed only one runner, on a first-inning error, through the first three innings. In the fourth, however, Geneseo used a combination of eight hits and three Cortland errors to score eight runs, seven unearned. The 12-batter inning featured five consecutive RBI singles by Abby Dennett, Mikayla Moore, Ashley Fillmore, Sami Brown and Courtney Budynas.
The Red Dragons tried to chip away at their 8-2 deficit, starting in the fifth when Schoonmaker walked, Kadish singled and, with one out, Phillips hit an RBI double. Geneseo starter Corrin Spallone escaped further damage with runners on second and third with a lineout and flyout.
In the sixth, Wolstenholme singled with two outs and scored when Schoonmaker's single was misplayed in right field. Schoomaker went to third on the play but was stranded there. In the seventh,
Kaleigh Churchill (Camillus/West Genesee) led off with a pinch-hit homer, but Spallone retired the next three batters to end the game. Spallone allowed six hits, three walks and five runs, four earned, with two strikeouts for her 16th win in 21 decisions.
Lachall gave up seven runs, one earned, on six hits in three and two thirds innings She dropped to 12-3 on the season. Kadish went 2-for-3 with two RBI. For Geneseo (28-10), Brown was 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs and Budynas went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
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