PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Courtney Kane (Yaphank/Bellport) allowed one run over six innings and Lexi Szesnat (Colonie) and Kelly O'Gorman (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) each drove in two runs as Cortland defeated host Plattsburgh, 9-1, to salvage a doubleheader split with the Cardinals. The game was called after six innings due to the eight-run rule. Plattsburgh rallied from a 6-0 deficit to win the first game, 8-7, with Alexa Murray's two-out, two run double capping a four-run bottom of the seventh. 
 
Cortland (12-6, 9-3 SUNYAC East) remains in first place in the SUNYAC East with a 9-3 record, two games ahead of Oneonta (7-5) and three ahead of Plattsburgh (6-6). The Red Dragons are scheduled to play a doubleheader at Potsdam on Wednesday, but the Thursday twinbill between those schools in Cortland has been canceled. The top two teams from both the SUNYAC East and West qualify for the league's postseason playoffs. 
 
GAME 1: Plattsburgh 8, Cortland 7 
 
Cortland scored three runs each in the first two innings to take an early 6-0 lead. Jess Miller (Campbell Hall/Goshen) hit an RBI single and Alyssa Finno (Hurley/Kingston) doubled in two runs in the first, while Cailey Cuttita (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) hit a two-run double and Miller added an RBI single in the second. 
 
Plattsburgh tallied four runs in the bottom of the fifth as Bella Spadinger doubled in a run, Alexandra Clifford hit a two-run single, and another run scored on an error. The Red Dragons tacked on what appeared to be an important insurance run in the top of the seventh on a Sabrina Caputo (Westbury/W.T. Clarke) RBI double. 
 
The hosts began their winning rally when Spadinger reached on an error. Julia Golino doubled with one out to put runners on second and third and Danielle Torres hit a two-run, ground-rule double to make it 7-6. A Kaitlin Smith single and a steal put runners on second and third, but a strikeout moved Cortland one out from the victory. Murray, however, hit a two-run double down the left field line to give the Cardinals the win. 
 
The teams combined for 32 hits – 17 by Plattsburgh and 15 by Cortland. Torres was 3-for-3 with a walk and two RBI, Spadinger finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs, and Golino was 3-for-4 with a run for Plattsburgh. Kristen Langdon and Rebecca Diller added two hits apiece. For Cortland, Caputo went 3-for-4 with an RBI, Miller and Finno were each 2-for-4 with two RBI, and O'Gorman and Szesnat each were 2-for-4, with O'Gorman scoring two runs. 
 
Isabel Milazzo (Elmira/Elmira Notre Dame) took the loss in relief of starter Karlee Weeden (Maybrook/Valley Central). Milazzo allowed four runs, but only one earned, over two and a third innings. She gave up five hits and one walk and struck out four. Weeden gave up four runs, three earned, on 12 hits with two strikeouts in four and a third innings. Plattsburgh reliever Kristina Maggiacomo was the winner after allowing only one unearned run on two hits in two innings. Golino gave up six runs over the first five innings.

GAME 2: Cortland 9, Plattsburgh 1 (6 inn.) 
 
Kane improved to 5-2 after allowing only one run over six innings. She gave up five hits and four walks, but pitched out of a few jams as Plattsburgh left the bases loaded with one out in the fourth, had runners on second and third with two outs in the fifth, and left runners on first and third in the first. 
 
Cortland scored in five of its six innings at the plate. O'Gorman and Taylor Felicello (Marlboro) opened the game with singles, with O'Gorman eventually scoring on a Szesnat sacrifice fly and Felicello on a Miller RBI double. O'Gorman doubled home a run in the second, and a three-run fourth inning included an O'Gorman RBI groundout, and a Cuttita RBI double. 
 
Plattsburgh scored its run in the fourth on a Samantha Gentile RBI single. Cortland, however, scored twice in the fifth – once on an error and once on a Megan Weber (Lockport/Starpoint) RBI single. The Red Dragons created their decisive eight-run lead in the top of the sixth when Cuttita singled, stole second and scored on a Szesnat single to right center. 
 
Szesnat finished 3-for-3 with two RBI and was a combined 5-for-7 in the doubleheader. Tori Reich (Cornwall) went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, O'Gorman finished 2-for-4 with two RBI, and Cuttita ended 2-for-4 with an RBI. Maggiacomo took the loss after tossing all six innings for Plattsburgh (7-7, 6-6 SUNYAC East).