CORTLAND, N.Y. –
Karlee Weeden (Maybrook/Valley Central) and
Kimberly Westenberg (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) each recorded three-hitters as Cortland closed out its SUNYAC regular-season schedule with a sweep of visiting Oswego.
Cortland (23-11, 14-4 SUNYAC) won the opener, 6-1, and the nightcap, 9-1 in six innings, and in the process clinched the second seed in next week's six-team, double-elimination SUNYAC playoffs at New Paltz. On Thursday, top-seeded New Paltz will face Oneonta at 10 a.m., followed by Cortland versus fifth-seeded Plattsburgh at noon and third-seeded Geneseo against fourth-seeded Buffalo State at 3 p.m. The tournament runs through Saturday or Sunday, with the champion earning an NCAA automatic berth.
Prior to the doubleheader, Cortland recognized three senior players -
Megan LaMont (Amsterdam),
Gina Meyers (Liverpool) and Weeden, along with senior team manager Tommy Palma.
Cortland 6, Oswego 1
Oswego struck first when its starting pitcher, Fiona Higgins, hit a line drive inside the right field foul pole with two outs in the top of the first for a solo homer and a 1-0 lead. Weeden, however, shut down the Lakers the rest of the way on just two more hits - singles by Samantha Morgan and Christina Kania in the fourth. Weeden struck out 10 batters, walked none and improved to 10-6 on the season.
Cortland's first five runs came via the long ball. In the second,
Shannon Scotto (Putnam Valley/Lakeland) walked and
Tori Reich (Cornwall) singles, and Westenberg followed with a three-run homer to left. In the fifth,
McKenna Barry (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) drew a leadoff walk and
Brooke Scheibe (Sayville) hit a two-run homer to straightaway center.
The Red Dragons scored their final run in the sixth when Meyers singled with two outs, stole second and scored on
Halle Wright's (Ballston Spa) RBI single to right. Six different players recorded one hit for the Red Dragons. Higgins allowed six runs on six hits with nine strikeouts and five walks in six innings for the Lakers.
Cortland 9, Oswego 1 (6 inn.)
Westenberg upped her record to 5-3 after allowing one run on three hits with two strikeouts and a walk in six innings. Meyers was 4-for-4 with two RBI,
Elaina Ornstein (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and
Julz Koch (New City/Clarkstown South) homered and finished 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Barry's RBI single gave Cortland a 1-0 lead in the first. Oswego (9-27-1, 4-14 SUNYAC) knotted the game in the top of the second when Kylie Detz drew a one-out walk, was bunted to second by Kania and scored on an Ellie Mahoney RBI single up the middle. The hosts took the lead for good in the second. Ornstein singled with two outs and Meyers hit a single to right center. Ornstein, able to run on contact, was able to score from first to give Cortland a 2-1 lead.
The Red Dragons mounted a two-out rally in the fourth to extend their lead to 4-1. Ornstein singled and stole second. Meyers then beat out a slow-hit ball in the infield, and on the throw to first Ornstein kept going around third and slid around the tag at the plate. Meyers took second on the play and scored on a Wright single to center.
Cortland pushed its advantage to 8-1 in the fifth, again with a two-out rally. Reich singled and Westenberg hit a single to right center. Reich went to third on the hit and when the ball was mishandled in the outfield she was able to score. Koch hit a two-run homer to left center to make it 7-1, and Ornstein bunted for a hit. With Ornstein running on the pitch, Meyers reached on a bad-hop single to second, and a throwing error trying to get Ornstein at third allowed her to score.
Cortland clinched the eight-run rule victory with a run in the sixth. Scheibe singled with one out and Scotto's single moved pinch runner
Emily Stavola (Somers) to second. A Reich walk loaded the bases and, with two outs, Koch hit an RBI single to left.
Oswego starter Maria Lutz gave up eight runs, seven earned, on 12 hits in five innings to take the loss. Morgan, Mahoney and Adriana Marini each finished 1-for-2.
