NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Cortland softball team rallied from 3-1 deficits in each of its contests and recorded convincing wins over Susquehanna, 10-3, and Mt. Aloysius, 13-3 in six innings, during Wednesday's action at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic.
The Red Dragons improved to 4-0 with the victories. Cortland will face Muhlenberg at 9 a.m. and Mississippi University for Women at 11 a.m. on Thursday.
Cortland 10, Susquehanna 3
Karlee Weeden (Maybrook/Valley Central) went the distance for the win, allowing six hits and three runs with nine strikeouts and three walks. She gave up three runs on four hits and a walk in the first but settled down to allow just two hits and two walks over the final six innings to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Cortland finished with 14 hits, including multiple-hit games by six players.
Tori Reich (Cornwall) was 2-for-3 with a walk, RBI and two runs and
Gina Meyers (Liverpool) was 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Brooke Scheibe (Sayville),
McKenna Barry (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) and
Kimberly Westenberg (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) each went 2-for-4. Scheibe drove in two runs, Barry had a double, walk, RBI and two runs scored, and Westenberg drew a walk in addition to her two hits.
Halle Wright (Ballston Spa) finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
Shannon Scotto (Putnam Valley/Lakeland) was 1-for-3 with a walk and RBI and
Julz Koch (New City/Clarkstown South) went 1-for-4 with a double, RBI and two runs.
Meredith Pavlik went 2-for-4 at the plate for Susquehanna (4-6). Ashley Grudzien, the second of five pitchers for the River Hawks, took the loss after allowing four runs and recording just one out in the third inning.
Barry's RBI single gave Cortland a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Susquehanna answered with three in the bottom of the frame on a passed ball, a Lexi Palumbo RBI double and a Stevie Shaak sacrifice fly.
Cortland's four-run third inning featured back-to-back doubles by Barry and Koch and, two batters later, back-to-back RBI singles by Scheibe and Scotto. The first run of the inning scored on an error. The Red Dragons tacked on three runs in the fourth on RBI singles from Reich and Scheibe and a Meyers line drive sac fly to left. Meyers also singled in two runs in the sixth.
Cortland 13, Mt. Aloysius 3 (6 inn.)
Mount Aloysius (1-4) controlled play for the first four innings. The Mounties fell behind 1-0 in the first when
Elaina Ornstein (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) singled, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Barry single, but they answered with two runs in the bottom of the second on a Maggie Cypher two-run single and added a run in the third on a Whitney Cole RBI single after Ella Pearson led off with a double and moved to third on a sac bunt.
Cortland, however, exploded for 12 runs and 12 of its 16 hits in the fifth and sixth innings to win by the eight-run rule. The Red Dragons tied the game on Westenberg's two-run single and took the lead when Barry followed with a two-run homer to center. Cortland sent 13 batters to the plate in an eight-run sixth inning. Highlights in the frame included RBI singles by Meyers and Ornstein, a Westenberg two-run double, a Scheibe two-run double and, in her second at-bat of the inning, a Meyers two-run double.
Ornstein went 4-for-4 with a walk, RBI and three runs scored and Meyers finished 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI. Westenberg was 2-for-4 with a double and four RBI and Barry went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI. Scotto also was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs and Wright ended 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs.
Barry earned the win in the circle, allowing three runs, one earned, on six hits in five innings. She struck out three and did not walk anyone.
Kaeli Murtagh (Pine Bush) pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning in her collegiate debut.
For Mount Aloysius, Cypher went 1-for-2 with two RBI and Cole was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Marina Shawley allowed five runs on seven hits in four and a third innings with two strikeouts and a walk.
