CLERMONT, FLA. – The Cortland softball team opened up a 9-1 lead and held on for a 9-6 victory over Smith College in a non-league matchup at THE Spring Games. The Red Dragons opened the day with a 4-2 loss to Macalester College in eight innings.
 
Cortland (1-4) will be idle Wednesday and will return to action Thursday back at Clermont's Hancock Park. The times of Cortland's games on Thursday have been changed - the Red Dragons will now face the University of New England at 9 a.m. and Wisconsin-Whitewater at 1:30 p.m.
 
Macalester 4, Cortland 2 (8 inn.)
 
Cortland took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Gianna Endieveri (Glens Falls), who entered to pitch in the top of the fourth, walked with one out in the bottom of the frame. Shelby LaMont (Amsterdam) reached on a fielder's choice, with Endieveri safe at second on a throwing error, and Brooke Scheibe (Sayville) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Maggie Cummings (Holland Patent) followed with a two-run single up the middle to score Endieveri and pinch runner Emily Stavola (Somers). Tess Bororquez took over the pitching duties at that point and escaped further damage with a fielder's choice forceout at third and a lineout back to her.
 
Macalester (9-3) tied the game in the top of the sixth. Bojorquez led off with a double and moved to third on an Alli Johnson single. Johnson stole second, Safiya Butler was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Callia Holland walked to force in a run. Reliever Sophia Wahl (Schuylerville) got Allyson Wolf to hit a grounder to short - the Red Dragons were able to get a force out at third but Johnson scored the tying run on the play. Wahl struck out the next batter to end the inning and keep the game tied.
 
The teams eventually went to extra innings, and in the top of the eighth Johnson was placed on second and she moved to third on Butler's infield single. Butler stole second and Holland followed with a two-run single up the middle to give the Scots a 4-2 lead. Cortland was unable to score in the bottom of the eighth.
 
McKenna Barry (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) started for Cortland and allowed three hits in three scoreless innings. Endieveri gave up two runs on four hits in two innings with two strikeouts and two walks. Wahl allowed two runs, one earned, over the final three innings and took the loss. She gave up two hits, struck out two and didn't walk anyone.
 
Holland was 2-for-3 with a double, walk and three RBI, Butler went 2-for-3 and Renee Nicholson was 2-for-5 for Macalester. Martha Miller, the Scots' starter, allowed two hits and two runs, one earned, in three and a third innings. She struck out three and walked three. Bojorquez went the rest of the way for the win, giving up two hits and no walks with four strikeouts in four and two thirds scoreless innings.
 
Cortland 9, Smith 6
 
Cortland broke a 1-1 tie with a run in the top of the fourth and exploded for four runs in the fifth and three in the sixth to take a 9-1 lead. Smith (2-4) battled back for five runs in the bottom of the sixth but couldn't get any closer.
 
Halle Wright (Ballston Spa) led Cortland's 15-hit attack by going 4-for-4 with a triple, RBI and three runs scored. Laila Smith (Guilderland) finished 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored, Shannon Scotto (Putnam Valley/Lakeland) was 2-for-4 with two RBI, Danielle DeBonis (Burnt Hills/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) homered in two plate appearances off the bench, LaMont was 1-for-2 with a double and RBI and Kaeli McAnally (Islip) finished 2-for-4.
 
Molly Farley (Goshen/Chester Academy) earned the win after tossing five and a third innings. Through five frames she allowed only two hits and one run before giving up five runs in the sixth. She finished with four hits and four walks allowed with four strikeouts. Riley Ferenze (Selden/Newfield) entered in the sixth with the bases loaded and one out and Cortland up 9-4. Smith scored runs on a groundout and a wild pitch and Firenze recorded a strikeout to end the inning. She allowed only a two-out walk in the seventh and earned a save.
 
The teams traded runs in the first - Cortland on a Scotto RBI single after Wright had singled and stolen second, and Smith on an Elinor Washington walk and steal and an error following a Kat Wajerski infield single.
 
Cortland took the lead in the fourth. LaMont led off with a double and pinch runner Stavola went to third on a McAnally bunt single, with McAnally advancing to second on the play. Scheibe's groundout to second drove in Stavola to make it 2-1, although the Pioneers avoided further damage when right fielder Bailey Gray threw out McAnally trying to score from second on a Kayla Pendergast (West Hempstead) single.
 
Cortland's four-run fifth featured a Wright RBI triple, a Scotto RBI single, a LaMont sacrifice fly and a Scheibe RBI single. In the sixth, Smith and Wright led off with singles and, with one out, DeBonis smashed a three-run homer to left to give the Red Dragons a 9-1 lead.
 
Smith's five-run sixth started with the Pioneers loading the bases on a Washington single, a wild pitch, a one-out Lucy Allen walk and a Bailey Gray single. The five ensuing runs came in without a hit as Piper Cory was hit by a pitch, Aislinn Lavery walked, Taz Tamai was hit by a pitch, Ally Knutson hit an RBI groundout to first and Lavery scored on a wild pitch.
 
Allen finished 1-for-2 with two walks and Washington went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs for the Pioneers. Starter Emily Doty allowed two runs on seven hits in four innings with one walk and took the loss.