CORTLAND, N.Y. – Lizzy Byers (New Paltz) hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth in the first game and McKenna Barry (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) hit an bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth in the second game as Cortland swept visiting Plattsburgh, 3-1 and 1-0, in a pair of SUNYAC softball contests.
 
Cortland played two extra-inning games in the same day for the first time since splitting two eight-inning contests at Kean in March of 1997.
 
Cortland (16-10, 7-1 SUNYAC) is scheduled to host Potsdam in a doubleheader Saturday. The start time has been moved back to 1 p.m., weather permitting.
 
Cortland 3, Plattsburgh 1 (8 inn.)
 
Karlee Weeden (Maybrook/Valley Central) went the full eight innings for the win. She allowed four hits and four walks and struck out seven batters. Plattsburgh starter Kristina Maggiacomo also tossed a complete game, giving up three runs on 12 hits in seven-plus innings with three strikeouts and one walk.
 
Cortland took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Barry singled and was forced out on a one-out fielder's choice grounder by Alyssa Finno (Hurley/Kingston). Finno stole second on scored on Byers' RBI single through the left side.
 
Plattsburgh had runners reach third base three times in the first six innings, but each time Weeden pitched out of trouble. She registered a strikeout and pop-out in the first with runners on first and third, and in the fifth faced first-and-third with no outs before escaping with a pop-out, lineout and strikeout. The Cardinals used a walk, sac bunt and flyout/tag-up to put a runner on third in the sixth before a flyout ended the inning.
 
Cortland also had its chances to grow its lead in regulation, but the Red Dragons left runners on first and third after the Byers RBI single in the second as well as runners on first and third with two outs in the fifth and sixth innings. Each team finished the game with 10 runners left on base.
 
Plattsburgh broke through to tie the game in the top of the seventh. Kelsy Waite drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a one-out Alexa Murray sac bunt, and Kristen Langdon beat out an infield single to put runners on first and third. Claire Palmer followed with a line drive that Weeden was able to get a glove on but couldn't catch. The deflection headed toward shortstop Tori Reich (Cornwall), who changed direction and almost made the catch. The infield single knotted the game at 1-1.

Cortland had runners on first and second with two outs in the seventh before a lineout ended the inning. In the top of the eight, Maggiacomo walked with one out and went to third on a Waite two-out single, but a flyout to left kept the Cardinals off the board. In the bottom of the eighth, Finno led off with a single and Byers blasted a shot over the fence in left center for her team-high 10th homer of the season.
 
Reich finished 2-for-3 and Byers, Finno, Barry and Gina Meyers (Liverpool) each went 2-for-4 as Cortland held a 12-4 hits advantage.
 
Cortland 1, Plattsburgh 0 (9 inn.)
 
The Red Dragons pushed across the game's lone run in the bottom of the ninth with darkness settling in and a tie game looking like a distinct possibility. Hannah Fairbrother (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton) beat out a bunt single to start the inning. Meyers singled to left, with an error on the play putting runners on second and third.
 
Elaina Ornstein (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) followed with a squeeze bunt attempt. Plattsburgh had Fairbrother caught in a rundown between third and home, but she was eventually able to get back to third safely and the bases were loaded. Following a strikeout, Barry lined a single to right to give Cortland the victory.
 
Isabel Milazzo (Elmira/Elmira Notre Dame) started for Cortland and gave up two hits, three walks and no runs over four innings with two strikeouts. Lindsey Richards (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) started the fifth inning and pitched the final five frames to improve to 7-1 on the season. She gave up one hit and three walks and matched her career high with nine strikeouts.
 
Julia Golino started for Plattsburgh (8-14, 4-6 SUNYAC) and went two innings. She allowed one hit and one walk with one strikeout. Mikayla Manalo went the final six and a third innings and allowed just one unearned run despite allowing nine hits and three walks. She struck out four.
 
Cortland outhit the Cardinals, 10-3, and the teams combined to leave 27 runners on base (Plattsburgh 13, Cortland 14, including technically three in the final inning after the winning hit). Cortland loaded the bases in the third and seventh innings, while the Cardinals left runners on second and third in the third, fourth and seventh innings, as well as a runner on third in the ninth.
 
Barry's winning hit completed a 3-for-4 effort with a walk and RBI. Fairbrother went 2-for-4 and Halle Wright (Ballston Spa) was 2-for-5.