THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF. – Cady Walts (Cortland) tossed a four-hitter and Kiley Besko (Poughkeepsie/Arlington) went 3-for-4 with three runs scored as Cortland defeated Cal Lutheran, 6-1, to salvage a split of a non-league doubleheader. The host Regals won the opener, 6-2, behind a six-hitter from Brittany Workman.
 
Cortland continues its West Coast trip Monday at noon (Pacific) versus Chapman. The schedule has been changed for the Red Dragons' twinbill at La Verne with the games moved from Wednesday to Tuesday due to predicted rain on Wednesday.
 
Cal Lutheran 6, Cortland 2
 
Cal Lutheran grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the first on a Rachel Barker RBI double and struck for four runs in the third on a Kendall Marinesi three-run homer and a Marissa Alfaia RBI infield single.
 
The Red Dragons countered with two in the top of the fifth after managing just one baserunner versus Workman over the first four innings. Tori Scharff (Poughkeepsie/Arlington) and Jess Marsh (Wynantskill/Troy) hit back-to-back two-out singles and both scored on an Ashley Votta (Marlboro) double to left. The Regals closed the scoring on Celeste Ekman's RBI infield single in the sixth.
 
Sabrina Caputo (Westbury/W.T. Clarke) finished 2-for-3 as Cortland's lone player to reach base multiple times in the contest. Sam Van Dorn (Medford/Patchogue-Medford) went the distance in the circle, allowing six runs, five earned, on 12 hits in six innings. She struck out two and walked none.
 
Workman, in addition to allowing six hits, did not walk anyone and struck out three. Barker finished 3-for-4 with an RBI, Marinesi went 2-for-4 with three RBI and three runs, and Ekman and Lauren Salvati each were 2-for-4.
 
Cortland 6, Cal Lutheran 1
 
The only run Walts allowed came on a Sienna Vannoy solo homer with two outs in the second that gave CLU an early 1-0 lead. Walts pitched out of trouble in four other innings as the Regals put runners in scoring position in the first, third, fourth and fifth frames, including runners on second and third in the fifth and first and third in the third. Walts cruised late as she retired the final seven batters she faced. She ended with four strikeouts and two walks.
 
Cortland loaded the bases with no outs in the first but couldn't score, but the Red Dragons took the lead with three runs in the third on a Hannah Feldman (Buffalo/Sweet Home) RBI infield single, a double steal with Besko stealing home after pinch runner Megan Weber (Lockport/Starpoint) swiped second, and a Taylor Felicello (Marlboro) RBI double.
 
The lead grew to 5-1 in the fourth. With two outs, Besko singled, stole second and scored on a Caputo double to center. Feldman followed with an RBI single to right center. The Red Dragons' final run came in the sixth on a Besko one-out single, a groundout and an error on a ball hit by Feldman.
 
In addition to Besko's 3-for-4 outing, Cortland's 13-hit attack also featured Caputo going 2-for-3 with an RBI and 2-for-4 efforts by Caputo, Feldman and Kelly O'Gorman (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa). Feldman finished with two RBI.
 
Rilee Grau was 1-for-2 with a walk and Vannoy went 1-for-3 with her solo homer to lead the CLU offense. Meghan Henry allowed three runs on six hits in two and a third innings as the Regals' starter. Sienna Perez gave up three runs on seven hits over the final four and two thirds innings.