CORTLAND, N.Y. – SUNY Cortland became the first program in the 34-year history of SUNYAC softball to win three straight league titles as the Red Dragons defeated Oneonta, 7-4, in the championship game of the league's six-team, double-elimination tournament late Sunday afternoon at Dragon Field.
 
Cortland (29-12) earns an NCAA Division III tournament automatic berth with its title. The Red Dragons will learn of their NCAA regional pairings on Monday at 1 p.m. on NCAA.com. Regional play will begin on Friday at 16 campus sites. Cortland has won 15 SUNYAC titles overall, including six since 2010.
 
Cortland started Sunday with a come-from-behind 8-7 win over Oswego in a game that was halted Saturday by rain in the bottom of the first inning. The Red Dragons then stayed alive with a 5-4 win over Plattsburgh in another comeback effort. Oneonta eliminated Plattsburgh, 12-7, in Sunday's third game, and top-seeded Cortland claimed the title with its win over Oneonta as darkness began to set in. All 11 games of the tournament were able to be played despite numerous delays over four days due to the weather.
 
Sophomore pitcher Sam Van Dorn (Medford/Patchogue-Medford) was named Tournament Most Valuable Player and was joined on the all-tournament team by senior first baseman Mikayla Shade (Glenmont/Bethlehem), senior second baseman Rosie Phillips (Geneva/Our Lady of Mercy), and freshman outfielder Kelly O'Gorman (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa). Also earning all-tourney honors were Oneonta's Dana DelGenio, Brooke Corbett and Katie O'Gorman (Kelly's older sister), Plattsburgh's Haleigh Agans and Jennifer Groat, Oswego's Jessica Roe, and Buffalo State's Allie Block.
 
VanDorn was 2-0 with a save on Sunday, and also hit a key pinch-hit, two-run single that tied the Oswego game at 7-7 in the bottom of the fifth. She earned the win versus Oswego with three hitless and scoreless innings with one walk and one strikeout. Against Plattsburgh, she entered the game in the top of the first with Cortland down 2-0 and the bases loaded and no outs. She got out of that jam and, despite allowing two runs in the second, pitched the rest of the way for the victory. Van Dorn finished the day by coming in with one out in the top of the seventh versus Oneonta and Cortland leading 7-4. With the potential tying run at the plate, Van Dorn recorded a strikeout and pop-up for her fourth save of the season.
 
Shade finished the tournament with three homers, a triple, a double, eight RBI and five runs scored. In the Oswego win, she hit a two-run homer in the first and an RBI triple in the third, and she broke a 7-7 tie with an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth. She finished 3-for-4 with four RBI and was a single shy of hitting for the cycle. Shade then hit the tie-breaking homer to lead off the top of the seventh in the win over Plattsburgh.
 
Phillips went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI in the championship game versus Oneonta. She hit a two-run single in the second to put Cortland up 4-1 and added an RBI double in the fourth. Phillips batted .400 (6-for-15) with three RBI, three walks and four runs scored during the tournament.
 
O'Gorman led Cortland with a tournament batting average of .429 (6-for-14) with a double, two RBI, a walk, two steals, three sac bunts, and five runs scored. She went 1-for-3 against Oneonta, and she finished 1-for-2 with a walk, an RBI, and a steal of home on a 1st-and-3rd double steal in the title game.
 
Other highlights during Cortland's three wins on Saturday included:
 
vs. Oswego
 
* Kaleigh Churchill (Camillus/West Genesee) went 2-for-4, including an RBI single in the third
* Oswego's Claire Hewitt was 2-for-3 with a double and Ashley Lyman hit a two-run homer for the Lakers (17-20), who are coached by former Cortland All-American and assistant coach Abby Martin
 
vs. Plattsburgh
 
* Churchill hit a two-run homer and finished 2-for-4 with an RBI
* Plattsburgh's Agans was 4-for-4 with a double and drove in all four runs for the Cardinals (25-19), while Groat went 2-for-4
 
vs. Oneonta
 
* Jamie Lachall (Philadelphia, PA/Sun Valley) earned the win to improve to 12-6 on the season. She allowed nine hits and four runs, three earned, with a walk and a strikeout in six and a third innings
* Andrea Schoonmaker (Marlboro) finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and Hannah Thornhill (Heuvelton) was 1-for-3 with an RBI single
* DelGenio finished 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI and Cori McFall hit a solo homer for Oneonta (25-14)