La VERNE, CALIF. – Cortland softball head coach Julie Lenhart earned her 800th victory at Cortland in 25 seasons at the school as the Red Dragons registered a pair of 3-2 victories, the first in eight innings, at the University of La Verne. Lenhart is now 800-317-2 coaching at Cortland and has a career mark of 920-394-2, including five seasons at Wisconsin-Platteville.

Cortland (5-4) extended its winning streak to five games with the victories. The Red Dragons and the Leopards (9-11) played once previously, with Cortland victorious in 2010 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Florida. Cortland will have the day off Wednesday and will wrap up its California trip Thursday with a doubleheader at nationally 12th-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Cortland 3, La Verne 2 (8 inn.)

La Verne tied the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh on a Rachel Ogata leadoff single, a Carly Condon sac bunt and an error on a ball hit by Francheska Juarez. With runners starting on second base to start the eighth, Cortland manufactured a run on an Ashley Votta (Marlboro) sac bunt and a Taylor Felicello (Marlboro) sacrifice fly to deep left. La Verne bunted its runner to third in the bottom of the eighth before a lineout to third and a groundout to second ended the game.

Sam Van Dorn (Medford/Patchogue-Medford) threw a complete-game four-hitter for the win. She struck out four and walked one, and both runs that she allowed were unearned. She outdueled Leopards' starter Jiana Rojo, who also tossed eight innings and gave up five hits and three walks, struck out six, and allowed only one earned run.

Cortland went up 1-0 in the top of the first when Kiley Besko (Poughkeepsie/Arlington) singled with one out, stole second, and scored on a two-out single by Hannah Feldman (Buffalo/Sweet Home).

The Red Dragons added a run in the second on a strange play. With runners on second and third and one out, Votta hit a ball to second and the runner from third was thrown out trying to score. Votta, however, kept going to second, and a wild throw to second by the catcher allowed Tori Scharff (Poughkeepsie/Arlington) to score. Votta, however, tried to advance to third and was thrown out to end the inning.

La Verne cut its deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the second. Shelby Tevis led off with a double, stole third and scored on a wild throw during the steal attempt. The Leopards had runners reach second base in the first, fourth and sixth innings but were unable to score in those frames.

Besko led Cortland with a 2-for-4 effort at the plate and Feldman was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Ogata went 1-for-2 with a run scored for the hosts.

Cortland 3, La Verne 2

Cortland grabbed a 3-0 lead after its first two offensive innings and held on for the victory. In the first, Felicello singled and stole second. Besko reached on an error, with Felicello scoring on the play, and Sabrina Caputo (Westbury/W.T. Clarke) also reached on an error, and then forced a rundown that allowed Besko to score. Scharff extended the lead with a one-out solo homer in the second.

Cady Walts (Cortland) earned her third victory in as many days, uniquely both starting and finishing the game. She pitched the first four and a third innings, then came back in with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and a runner on and striking out the final hitter to end the game. Walts tossed a total of four and two thirds innings with seven strikeouts, four hits allowed and four walks and gave up two runs.

La Verne scored in the second on Gabriella Underwood's leadoff walk, a Katheryn Navarro sac bunt, and singles by Ogata and Condon. The Leopards also scored in the fifth on a Justice Borden RBI double, and had a good chance to tie or take the lead with runners on second and third with one out. Courtney Kane (Bellport) relieved Walts and Underwood hit a line drive to second. Scharff made the catch on her knees to her left and threw to second to double off Borden to end the inning.

Cortland got out of another tough situation in the sixth in similar fashion. With one out and a runner on second Condon hit a screaming liner to center. Felicello made an extended catch over her head and threw to second for a double play to end the inning.

La Verne also threatened in the seventh against reliever Lindsey Richards (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse). Toni Lozano reached on catcher's interference to start the inning. Juarez popped up a bunt that catcher Victoria Brown (Queens/Archbishop Molloy) almost made a diving catch on in front of the plate. She recovered, however, and threw for the force at second. Ashley Soto then hit a liner to center. Felicello couldn't hold on for the catch, but also regrouped and got the force at second for the second out. Walts re-entered at that point for the game-ending strikeout.

Votta finished 2-for-3 and Scharff and Besko each were 1-for-3 for the Red Dragons. Lexie Raasch went the distance in the circle for La Verne and gave up three runs, one earned, on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Ogata finished 2-for-2.