KISSIMMEE, FLA. – The Cortland softball team scored six runs in the top of the seventh to overcome a three-run deficit and the Red Dragons defeated Hood College, 8-5, to remain unbeaten on the season. Cortland (4-0) opened the day Monday in Florida with an 8-5 win over Wooster, building an 8-2 lead and holding off a late rally by the Scots.
Cortland returns to action on Tuesday morning in Clermont with games versus Nichols at 9 a.m. and Mitchell at 11:30 a.m.
Cortland 8, Wooster 5
Cortland shook off an early 2-0 deficit with two runs in the second and three in the third to take a 5-2 lead. The Red Dragons added two in the fifth and one in the sixth to take control.
Kim Westenberg (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) earned the win in the circle, allowing two runs in six and two thirds innings. She left after the sixth but re-entered with one out in the seventh after Wooster scored three times and recorded the final two outs (as the winning pitcher, she is not eligible for a save). She gave up eight hits but no walks and struck out one batter.
Each team finished with 13 hits.
Shannon Scotto (Putman Valley/Lakeland) went 4-for-4 with a double and
Tori Reich (Cornwall) was 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs to lead the Red Dragons. Westenberg homered and finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and
Brooke Scheibe (Sayville) went 2-for-4. For Wooster (3-3), Emma Hetkey and Cate Barkdoll each went 2-for-3 and Stephanie Griffin-Sanchez, Kaydee Clark and Lynnsey Delio were each 2-for-4. Delio suffered the loss after allowing seven runs in four innings.
Wooster scored twice in the second on a Ella Wolff RBI triple and a Griffin-Sanchez RBI single. Cortland tied the game in the bottom of the second on
Halle Wright's (Ballston Spa) RBI single and
Kaeli McAnally's (Islip) sac fly to shallow right. Reich doubled in a run and Westenberg hit a two-run homer in the third, and Reich singled in a run and Westenberg had an RBI groundout in the fifth.
Gabby Baumann (Colonie) drove in the Red Dragons' final run with a sac fly in the sixth.
Wooster's final rally included RBI singles by Julia Jennings, Clark and Tori Conner.
Cortland 8, Hood 5
Cortland trailed 5-1 after four innings and 5-2 entering the top of the seventh. The Red Dragons began their go-ahead rally with a
Lainie Ornstein (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) infield single, a Scotto single to right and a
McKenna Barry (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) walk to load the bases with no outs.
Julz Koch (New City/Clarkstown South) hit a grounder to second to plate a run, and a dropped throw by the first baseman on the play allowed Koch to reach safely and a second run to score.
Reich tied the game with a sac fly to right, and with two outs Westenberg hit an RBI double to the base of the fence in left center to give Cortland the lead. Scheibe's pinch-hit RBI single through the right side, an error, and an Ornstein infield RBI single provided two insurance runs.
Cortland led 1-0 in the top of the third on a Scotto sac fly. Hood (1-4) sent 11 batters to the plate in a five-run fourth inning. All of the runs scored with two outs on a Kara Heidlauf RBI single, a Sammy McIntosh bases-loaded walk, a Chloe Saunders RBI infield single and a Jocelyn Pfleiger two-run single.
Barry started for Cortland and allowed five runs on four hits over four innings. She held the Blazers hitless until the fourth. Westenberg entered to begin the fifth and went the final three innings for her second win of the afternoon. She gave up one hit, one walk and no runs with two strikeouts.
Cortland finished the game with 15 hits. Scotto was 3-for-4 with two RBI and was a combined 7-for-8 in the Red Dragons' two contests. Westenberg finished 2-for-2, Barry and Ornstein each went 2-for-3 with a walk and
Gina Meyers (Liverpool) was 2-for-5.
For Hood, Saunders went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Pfleiger was 1-for-3 with two RBI. Rebecca Gottleib allowed eight runs, four earned, over seven innings for the loss.
