LEESBURG, FLA. – The Cortland softball team concluded its season-opening Florida trip with wins over Plymouth State, 4-3, and McDaniel, 9-7, at THE Spring Games on Friday.
 
Cortland wrapped up its trip with a 4-5 record, including a 4-1 mark over its final five games. The Red Dragons' losses included two extra-inning defeats and a one-run setback. Cortland returns to action next weekend with four games in Maryland - one each day Saturday and Sunday versus Manhattanville and nationally 13th-ranked host Salisbury.
 
Cortland 4, Plymouth St. 3
 
Cortland trailed 3-2 entering the bottom of the seventh. Shannon Scotto (Putnam Valley/Lakeland) led off with a double down the left field line and Kaeli McAnally (Islip) ran for her at second base. Gianna Endieveri (Glens Falls) followed with a bunt that was misplayed by an infielder, and that fielder then threw to third but sailed the ball over the head of the shortstop covering. The ball went all the way down the left field line in foul territory allowing both McAnally to score the tying run and Endieveri to come all the way around to score the winning run standing up.
 
The teams traded runs in the first two innings. Kenzie Bessette led of the game with a bunt single, stole second, went to third on a flyout and scored on Avery Couch's sacrifice fly to center. In the bottom of the first, Leila Smith (Guilderland) led off with a double and Lainie Ornstein (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) put down a sacrifice bunt to third. Ornstein was thrown out, but she collided with the first baseman after the out and Smith was able to score on the play.
 
In the second, Jade Guertin and Kennedy Michaud led off with singles for the Panthers (7-4) and the runners moved up to second and third on a groundout. Marin Agbay hit a sac fly to left to score a run, but the next batter lined out to end the inning. For Cortland in the inning, Julz Koch (New City/Clarkstown South) drew a one-out walk and Maggie Cummings (Holland Patent) and Smith each singled to load the bases. Pinch hitter Gabby Baumann (Colonie) followed with a slow roller to first and the only play for the first baseman was an attempt at home, but pinch runner Emily Stavola (Somers) beat the throw to tie the game and give Baumann an RBI single.
 
Plymouth stranded runners on second and third with one out in the third as Cortland starter McKenna Barry (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) induced a pair of groundouts. The Red Dragons left runners on first and second in the bottom of the third. In the fifth, Plymouth put runners on first and second with two outs and Endieveri came in to relieve Barry. A passed ball moved the runners to second and third, but Endieveri struck out the next batter to escape the jam.
 
Cortland left runners on first and third in the bottom of the fifth, and Plymouth State took the lead in the top of the sixth when Kiera Larson singled with two outs, pinch runner Ashley Trogler went to second on a passed ball and Agbay hit a fly ball that was lost in the sun for an RBI double.
 
Endieveri earned the win in relief, allowing three hits and one unearned run in two and a third innings. She struck out three and walked one. Barry gave up seven hits and two runs over four and two thirds innings. Scotto went 3-for-4 with a double, Cummings was 2-for-3 and Smith ended 2-for-4 with a double.
 
Plymouth State starter Abbey Nezuch allowed two runs on eight hits in five innings. She walked two and struck out one. Kate McGrath entered with a runner on first in the sixth and eventually took the loss after giving up the two unearned runs in the seventh. Kenzie Bessette finished 3-for-4, Emily Bessette was 2-for-4 and Agbay went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI.
 
Cortland 9, McDaniel 7
 
Cortland trailed 4-3 after four innings but scored five times in the fifth to take an 8-4 lead. The Red Dragons held on as the Green Terror (6-6-1) eventually closed to within 9-7 in the seventh and had the potential winning run at the plate.
 
The teams combined for 24 hits - 13 by McDaniel and 11 by Cortland. The Red Dragons were led by Smith, who finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs and Cummings, who was 2-for-3 with a double. McAnally ended 2-for-3 with an RBI, Scotto went 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBI, Kayla Pendergast (West Hempstead) finished 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBI and Wright was 1-for-3 with a walk and RBI.
 
Five McDaniel players posted multiple hits. Taylor Applefeld was 2-for-2 with a walk and RBI, Rileigh Kitchin went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs and Sariah Guevara was 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and two runs. Emma Taff finished 2-for-4 with and RBI and Ryan Smith ended 2-for-5 with an RBI.
 
Sophia Wahl (Schuylerville) started for Cortland and was charged with three runs, two earned, in three-plus innings. She allowed three hits and two walks and fanned one batter. Endieveri, the Red Dragons' second reliever, earned her second win of the day after allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits in two and two thirds innings. She was the pitcher of record when Cortland took the lead for good in the fifth. Endieveri struck out one and walked one. Riley Firenze (Selden/Newfield) entered with the Red Dragons clinging to a two-run lead in the bottom of the seventh and a runner on first. She got the next hitter to pop out, then walked a batter before a fielder's choice force out ended the game. Firenze earned her second save of the season.
 
McDaniel starter Amy Anderson permitted seven runs on six hits in four-plus innings. She struck out one and walked four. Libertie Schatzman allowed two runs on five hits over three frames with a strikeout and two walks.
 
Cortland led 2-0 in the top of the first on a Wright RBI single and McAnally sacrifice fly. McDaniel scored on an error after a steal of third base in the bottom of the first, but the Red Dragons scored in the second on a Smith sac fly.
 
The Green Terror struck for three runs in the fourth to take the lead. Schatzman led off with a triple and scored on a Guevara single. Later in the inning Applefeld singled in the tying run and two batters later Taff hit an RBI single to give McDaniel a 4-3 edge.
 
Ornstein started Cortland's five-run fifth with a double. She went to third on a passed ball and scored on a Smith single to right center. Following a Cummings double and a Wright walk to load the bases, Scotto singled to drive in two runs to put Cortland up 6-4. Later in the inning Pendergast hit a two-out, two-run single to push the lead to 8-4.
 
Ryan Smith drove in a run for McDaniel in the fifth, and the score remained 8-5 until the seventh. Cortland added an insurance run in the top of the inning when Scotto walked, pinch runner Sam Pusloskie (Clarence) stole second and Barry hit an RBI double to left. In the bottom of the inning, two singles, with an error after the second one, gave McDaniel runners on second and third with one out. Pinch hitter Kaylah Morosko singled to drive in two runs to make it 9-7 before Firenze entered to close out the game.