EWING, N.J. – The Cortland softball team split a pair of non-league eight-inning games at The College of New Jersey, losing to the Lions in the first game, 6-5, and holding on to win the nightcap, 8-7. Cortland is now 7-1 with the split and TCNJ is 8-6. 
 
TCNJ 6, Cortland 5 (8 inn.) 
 
Cortland rallied from a 4-1 deficit with two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh, and the Red Dragons took a 5-4 lead with a run in the top of the eighth before TCNJ rallied to win the game with two runs in the bottom of the inning. 
 
Both starting pitchers received no decisions. Cortland's Karlee Weeden (Maybrook/Valley Central) allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits in seven innings. She struck out three and walked three. TCNJ's Elizabeth Gosse gave up four runs on eight hits in six and a third innings with nine strikeouts and three walks. TCNJ reliever Gillian Roberts picked up the win, allowing just one unearned run on two hits in an inning and two thirds. She fanned two and walked one. Cortland reliever Kimberly Westenberg (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) entered to start the eighth and suffered the loss after giving up two runs, one earned, and four hits. 
 
Gina Meyers (Liverpool) went 3-for-5 at the plate for Cortland with two runs scored. Tori Reich (Cornwall) was 2-for-3 with an RBI, McKenna Barry (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) was 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, and Brooke Scheibe (Sayville) drove in two runs. Reina Jeronimo was 2-for-2 with two walks and an RBI and Jaclyn Carifi and Kaci Neveling each finished 2-for-5 for TCNJ. 
 
Carifi's RBI infield single gave TCNJ a lead in the first. Cortland tied the game on a Barry RBI single in the third, but TCNJ plated a run in the fourth on Jeronimo's RBI single and went up 4-1 in the fifth on Mckayla Yard's two-run homer. 
 
Cortland put up two runs in the sixth on one-out singles by Halle Wright (Ballston Spa) and Reich and a Scheibe two-run single. Meyers singled to start the Red Dragons' tying rally in the seventh. She stole second and went to third on a throwing error on the play, and she scored later in the inning on Reich's two-out RBI single to left. 
 
The NCAA tiebreaker rule was used starting in the eighth inning where teams place a runner on second to begin the inning. Pinch runner Emily Stavola (Somers) started on second base for Cortland and, following a Shannon Scotto (Putnam Valley/Lakeland) walk, Lizzy Byers (New Paltz) lined a single to left. The left fielder misplayed the ball, allowing Stavola to score. The Red Dragons, however, stranded runners on first and second after Roberts retired the next three hitters. 
 
In the bottom of the eighth, Julia Mayernik singled and, with one out, Alexis Rizzo bunted for a single to drive in the tying run. After a Jeronimo infield single and a flyout, Carifi ended the game when she beat out a grounder to short for an RBI single.   
 
Cortland 8, TCNJ 7 (8 inn.) 
 
TCNJ took a 3-0 lead in the third on a Neveling RBI single, a Carifi RBI groundout and a Julia Kinnally RBI single. Cortland fought back to take a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth. Julz Koch (New City/Clarkstown South) singled and pinch runner Megan LaMont (Amsterdam) took second on a wild pitch. After a two-out walk by Wright, Elaina Ornstein (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) walked to load the bases. Meyers hit a grounder to the second baseman and Ornstein beat the throw to the second, with two runs scoring on the play to draw Cortland within 3-2. Barry followed with a two-run double to right to give the Red Dragons a 4-3 lead.

TCNJ tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on a Kinnally two-out RBI double, and the game stayed that way until the top of the seventh. Cortland scored twice in the top of the seventh on a Barry two-run single, but the Lions rallied to knot the game at 6-6 on back-to-back, two-out RBI doubles by Kinnally and Camryn Kitchin. 
 
Stavola pinch ran at second to start the top of the eighth and, with one out, Reich singled to move Stavola to third. Reich advanced to second on the throw into the infield. A wild pitch scored Stavola and advanced Reich to third, and Koch's groundout to second drove home Reich to give Cortland an 8-6 lead. 
 
TCNJ, however, pushed Cortland to the limit in the bottom of the eighth. After a one-out single by Camryn Davies, Weeden entered in relief of starter Barry and an error on a grounder by pinch hitter Rachel Alecci brought home a run. An infield single by pinch hitter Julia Guerriero loaded the bases. Weeden got the next batter to ground to third resulting in a force out at home for the second out, and Carifi grounded out to Weeden on a close play at first to end the game. 
 
Barry earned the win despite allowing seven runs, five earned, on nine hits in seven and a third innings. She struck out five and walked one. Weeded gave up one hit and picked up the save. TCNJ starter Julia Roessler gave up four runs on five hits in six innings and took a no decision. Roberts suffered the loss in relief. 
 
In addition to the pitching win, Barry was 2-for-4 with a double and four RBI. Ornstein went 2-for-2 with two walks and two runs and Koch was 2-for-4 with an RBI. TCNJ's offense was led by Kinnally, who was 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI, and Neveling, who finished 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs.