CLERMONT, FLA. – Lizzy Byers' (New Paltz) RBI double and Halle Wright's (Ballston Spa) two-run single, both with two outs, highlighted a three-run fifth inning and Lindsey Richards (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) pitched the final two and two thirds innings for the victory as the Cortland softball team defeated Wisconsin-La Crosse, 5-3, at THE Spring Games in Florida. 

Earlier in the day, the Red Dragons took Coe College of Iowa down to the wire before losing, 4-3, on an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh. 
 
Cortland (3-5) completes its Florida Spring Break trip on Friday with games versus Maine-Farmington at 3:15 p.m. and Rutgers-Camden at 5:30 p.m. in Leesburg. 
 
Coe 4, Cortland 3 
 
Coe (7-4) took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second on a two-out, two-run homer by Chloe Stevenson. Cortland right fielder Elaina Ornstein (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) nearly made a great catch to rob the homer, but she wasn't able to hang on and the ball cleared the fence to give the Kohawks the lead. 
 
Cortland answered with two runs to tie the game in the top of the third. Hannah Fairbrother (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton) led off with an infield single and Ornstein singled down the left field line. A Gina Meyers (Liverpool) walk loaded the bases, and Tori Reich (Cornwall) and McKenna Barry (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) followed with RBI groundouts. The Barry groundout was to the pitcher, who initially looked back Ornstein at third, but on the throw to first Ornstein took off for home and beat the ensuing throw home. 
 
The Red Dragons grabbed a 3-2 lead in the top of the sixth with a two-out rally. Wright singled up the middle and Fairbrother reached on an error to put runners on first and third. Ornstein hit a slow roller to third that resulted in an infield RBI single as the third baseman's only play was to flip home, with Wright sliding in safely. 
 
Coe, however, tied the game in the bottom of the sixth. Bree Mangleson drew a leadoff walk and was bunted to second by Shaylee Dodd. A Skyler Stookey single put runners on first and third, and pinch hitter Addie Menke hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Mangelson. Coe's winning rally began when Heather Boeckenstedt was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. She stole second with one out and scored on Ruby Kappeler's RBI single to left – Kappeler's third hit of the game. 
 
Wright finished 2-for-3 and Ornstein was 2-for-4 with an RBI to lead Cortland's offense. Karlee Weeden (Maybrook/Valley Central) went the distance in the circle for the Red Dragons, allowing six hits and two walks with one strikeout in six and two thirds innings. Only two of the four runs she allowed were earned. Coe's Abby Stock earned the victory with a complete-game six-hitter. She struck out two and walked two. 
 
Cortland 5, Wisconsin-La Crosse 3 
 
Cortland and Wisconsin-La Crosse (8-4) traded runs in the first. The Eagles took the lead in the top of the first on a Jordyn McCormack solo homer. Cortland tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Ornstein walked and stole second, Meyers walked, Reich reached on a fielder's choice, with Meyers safe at second, and Barry hit an RBI groundout to short. 
 
The Red Dragons went ahead 2-1 in the second as Byers led off with a walk and scored on a Wright double. UW-La Crosse regained the lead, 3-2, in the top of the fourth on a McCormack leadoff single and Kendra Leis two-run homer to center. 
 
Isabel Milazzo (Elmira/Elmira Notre Dame) started for Cortland and allowed five hits with no walks and two strikeouts in four and a third innings. Richards entered the game with one out and a runner on first in the top of the fifth and kept the Eagles off the board despite the runner advancing to third on a steal and a tag-up on a foul pop-up to second. Richards then earned the win as Cortland took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth. Richards retired eight of the nine batters she faced with one hit allowed and one strikeout. She gave up a leadoff double to Leis in the sixth before retiring the next three batters, and she retired the side in order in the seventh. 
 
Cortland's winning rally in the fifth started with back-to-back walks by Reich and Barry. A strikeout and a fielder's choice put runners on first and third with two outs, and Byers lined a double down the right field line to drive in Reich with the tying run. Wright then gave Cortland the lead with a two-run single up the middle. 
 
Wright finished 2-for-2 with a double, walk and three RBI. Alyssa Finno (Hurley/Kingston) was 2-for-3 and Byers went 1-for-2 with a double, walk, RBI and two runs. Ornstein and Meyers each went 1-for-3 with a walk, with Meyers hitting a double, and Barry drew two walks. 
 
For UW-La Crosse, Leis and McCormack each finished 2-for-3 to account for four of the Eagles' six hits. Elise Weinzierl started and allowed four hits and two runs with four walks over four innings. She struck out one. Remington Stark took the loss out of the bullpen after giving up three hits and three runs in two innings. She fanned five and walked three.