KISSIMMEE, FLA. – The Cortland softball team allowed only one run over two games as the Red Dragons opened their 2024 season with wins over Salem State, 7-1, and Montclair State, 1-0, at THE Spring Games in Florida.
 
Cortland 7, Salem St. 1
 
Kim Westenberg (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) earned the win versus Salem State with five innings of three-hit shutout ball. She struck out nine batters and walked only one. Kaeli Murtagh (Montgomery/Pine Bush) gave up one run on three hits over the final two innings.
 
Four Red Dragon players accounted for 11 of the team's 13 hits. Halle Wright (Ballston Spa) went 4-for-4 with a double and two RBI, Gina Meyers (Liverpool) was 3-for-4 with a triple, double and RBI, Lainie Ornstein (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored and Kaeli McAnally (Islip) was 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI.
 
Alaina Giuliano and Allison Frost each went 2-for-3 for Salem State (0-1). Alanis Toledano gave up seven runs on 11 hits with two walks and two strikeouts over four innings and took the loss.
 
Cortland scored in the first on a Meyers triple and a wild pitch and added two in the second on two-out singles by Wright and Ornstein and a McAnally two-run single. The Red Dragons put up two runs in the fourth on a McAnally RBI double and Meyers RBI single and two more in the fifth on a Wright two-run single.
 
The Vikings scored their lone run in the sixth. Samantha Gaona, Giuliano and Toledano each singled to load the bases with no outs. Paige Souza's sac fly scored Gaona, but the rally ended when a flyout to right turned into a double play with a runner being doubled off second.
 
Cortland 1, Montclair St. 0
 
Starting pitcher McKenna Barry (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) and Westenberg combined for the shutout in the win over Montclair. Barry gave up two hits and four walks and struck out three. Westenberg pitched the top of the seventh for the save, giving up two hits but keeping the Red Hawks off the board.
 
Ali Cavallaro went the distance for Montclair (0-1), giving up one run on five hits with five walks and three strikeouts.
 
The game's lone run came in the bottom of the third. Meyers led off with a single and stole second. With one out, Shannon Scotto (Putnam Valley/Lakeland) singled to left center, although Meyers had to hold at second not knowing if the ball was caught. Brooke Scheibe (Sayvlle) singled to load the bases and Barry's lineout to right resulted in a sac fly to score Meyers.
 
Despite the final score, each team had numerous scoring opportunities as Cortland left nine runners on base, including the bases loaded in the fifth, and Montclair stranded eight runners. In the top of the seventh, pinch hitter Katie Brunner led off with a double. After a popped up bunt for the first out, Madison Leech singled to third and Brunner held at second. A groundout to first moved the runners to second and third, but Westenberg escaped the jam by inducing a groundout to short.
 
Meyers finished 2-for-4, Tori Reich (Cornwall) was 1-for-2 with a walk and Scotto went 1-for-2 for Cortland. Leech finished 2-for-4 for the Red Hawks.