CLINTON, N.Y. – Returning to action for the first time in nearly two weeks, the Cortland softball team split a non-league doubleheader at Hamilton College. The Red Dragons (10-2) won the opener, 5-4, but lost the second game, 8-1.
 
The doubleheader was originally scheduled to be held at Cortland but was moved to Hamilton, with Cortland still batting last as the "home" team, due to field conditions at Cortland. The Red Dragons managed to split the twinbill despite being outhit by an identical 13-5 count in each game by the Continentals (10-8).
 
Cortland 5, Hamilton 4
 
Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Cortland rallied to take the lead with a two-out, three-run rally. Gina Meyers (Liverpool) reached on an infield single to start the run, followed by a Shannon Scotto (Putnam Valley/Lakeland) single through the left side. McKenna Barry (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) homered just to the right of center field – her fourth round-tripper of the season – to put the Red Dragons on top.
 
Hamilton led 1-0 in the top of the first on a Jordan Merlin leadoff triple and Gabby Garrison RBI double. Cortland scored twice in the bottom of the inning. Tori Reich (Cornwall) walked, Meyers bunted for a hit and Scotto hit an RBI double down the right field line. Meyers scored on a passed ball.
 
The Continentals had a chance to tie the game in the third but Cortland left fielder Halle Wright (Ballston Spa) threw out a runner at the plate trying to score for second on a single. Hamilton did, however, tie the game in the fourth on four straight singles, the last an RBI base hit up the middle by Merklin, and the Continentals took the lead briefly in the fifth on Hadley Rogers' RBI double and Alison Zorn's RBI single.
 
Meyers finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored, Scotto was 2-for-3 with a double and RBI and Barry was 1-for-2 with a homer, walk and three RBI to account for Cortland's five hits. Kim Westenberg (Massapequa Park/Massapequa) started in the circle and allowed 10 hits but only two runs in four innings. Barry pitched the last three innings for the victory and is now 6-0 on the season. She allowed two runs on three hits.
 
Merklin and Zorn each went 3-for-4 with an RBI, Garrison went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Natalie Beebe was 2-for-4 to lead Hamilton's 13-hit attack. The Continentals left nine runners on base. Beebe took the loss after giving up three runs over the final four innings in relief of starter Aubrey Purvis.
 
Hamilton 8, Cortland 1
 
Cortland grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Wright singled, was safe at second after a fielder's choice grounder, moved to third on Katie Stork's (Massapequa) sac bunt and scored on a Lainie Ornstein (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) RBI groundout.
 
From that point, however, it was all Hamilton as the Continentals scored three in the third, three in the fourth and two in the fifth. Hamilton ended the game with 13 hits and five walks and left 13 runners on base.

Taylor Santulli was 2-for-3 with a walk and five RBI, Garrison and Alexis Mayer each finished 3-for-5, with Mayer scoring three times and Garrison twice, Emma Tansky went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Zorn was 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs. Hamilton's three-run third featured a Zorn RBI single, a Santulli RBI groundout and a Tansky RBI infield single. Zorn singled in a run and Santulli hit a two-run double in the fourth, and Santulli capped the scoring with a two-run single in the fifth.
 
Stork finished 2-for-2 with a sac bunt in three plate appearances and Barry was 1-for-2 with a walk for Cortland.
 
Tansky went the distance in the circle for the win, allowing five hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Kaeli Murtagh (Montgomery/Pine Bush) allowed three runs in three innings for the loss.