CLERMONT, FLA. – Lindsey Richards (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) tossed a one-hitter and Halle Wright (Ballston Spa) tripled, doubled twice and drove in five runs as the Cortland softball team defeated Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, 10-0 in five innings, to close its Tuesday schedule at THE Spring Games. The Red Dragons fell earlier in the day to Nichols College, 9-7, as a late rally fell short.
 
Cortland (2-4) is idle on Wednesday before continuing its Florida trip Thursday with games versus Wisconsin-La Crosse and Coe College in Clermont.
 
Nichols 9, Cortland 7
 
Cortland led 3-1 after three and a half innings, scoring once in the top of the first on a Gina Meyers (Liverpool) one-out triple and Tori Reich (Cornwall) sacrifice squeeze bunt, and twice in the third on an error during a bunt play and on a Reich sacrifice fly. Nichols' early run came in the first on a Mackenzie Bourgault RBI single.
 
Nichols broke through for four runs in the bottom of the fourth with a combination of three hits and two Cortland errors. Kamryn Gurnee-Mims hit a two-run single, followed by an error on the next play that allowed a run to score, and Allie Brown followed with an RBI single through the right side.
 
Nichols extended its lead to 6-3 in the fifth. Erin Gour singled with one out and pinch runner Felicya Decicco moved to second on a Chloe Steiniger single. Lilly Fangel's walk loaded the bases and a wild pitch allowed Decicco to score.
 
Cortland scored twice in the sixth to draw within 6-5 on an Elaina Ornstein (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) RBI infield single and a Meyers RBI groundout, although the Red Dragons left a runner stranded on third. Nichols answered with three in the bottom of the sixth on a Gour two-run double and Steiniger RBI single.
 
Trailing 9-5 entering its final at bat, Cortland started the seventh with back-to-back singles from McKenna Barry (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) and Julz Koch (New City/Clarkstown South). A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, and a one-out dropped fly ball allowed a run to score and moved Koch to third. Renee Santos (West Haverstraw/North Rockland) nearly tied the game with a deep fly ball that was caught at the fence as a potential three-run homer instead resulted in a sacrifice fly to cut the Nichols lead to 9-7. The Bison got a popup to the pitcher to end the game.
 
Each team finished with 11 hits. For Cortland, Barry was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, Lizzy Byers (New Paltz) went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Hannah Fairbrother (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton) was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Barry made her first collegiate pitching start and allowed six runs, but only two earned, on six hits with a walk and two strikeouts in four and a third innings.
 
Gour was 2-for-2 with a double, walk and two RBI and Steiniger, Brown and Fangel each finished 2-for-3 for Nichols (1-4). Alyssa Ouellette went the distance in the circle for the Bison, giving up just two earned runs with three strikeouts and a walk.
 
Cortland 10, MCLA 0 (5 inn.)
 
Cortland broke open a tight game, extending a 1-0 lead after two innings with five runs in the bottom of the third and four in the fourth. The game was called after the top of the fifth due to the eight-run rule.
 
Richards notched her first collegiate victory with eight strikeouts while facing the minimum 15 batters. She retired the first nine hitters before Madison Teta led off the fourth by beating out a bunt single. Teta, however, was thrown out stealing by Koch during the next at-bat.
 
Cortland scored in the first when Ornstein singled, stole second and scored on a Reich RBI single. Cortland registered four extra-base hits in its five-run third inning. Meyers led off with a double and scored on Barry's one-out double. Koch singled, and Alyssa Finno (Hurley/Kingston) doubled to left center to drive in a run. After a misplayed pop-up loaded the bases, Wright unloaded them with a three-run triple down the right field line.
 
Meyers also started the fourth inning with a double, this one to shallow right field. She stole third and scored on Reich's RBI single to center. MCLA (0-7) got the next two batters out, with Reich taking second after an errant throw following a flyout. Finno hit an RBI single up the middle and went to second on a wild pitch, Byers singled to put runners on first and third, and Wright hit her second double of the game to center to drive in both runners and make it 10-0.
 
In addition to Wright's 3-for-3, five RBI effort, Finno was 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two runs, Reich went 2-for-3 with two RBI, Meyers was 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs, and Barry went 1-for-2 with a double, walk and RBI.