CORTLAND, N.Y. - Laila Smith (Guilderland) hit a three-run double in the bottom of the fourth and top-seeded Cortland held on for a 3-2 win over third-seeded Buffalo State in the winner's bracket game of the four-team, double-elimination SUNYAC Softball Tournament at Cortland's Dragon Field.
 
Cortland (22-14), which has won 18 of its last 20 games, advances to Sunday's championship round and will face fifth-seeded Oneonta at 11 a.m. Cortland needs one victory in two attempts to claim the league title and an NCAA automatic berth, while Oneonta needs to defeat Cortland twice Sunday to win the title. Oneonta stayed alive on Saturday with a 6-3 victory over second-seeded New Paltz and a 7-6 win over Buffalo State in a pair of elimination games following Cortland's win.
 
Buffalo State threatened in the top of third, loading the bases on a one-out Natalie Burck single, a sac bunt and back-to-back walks by Ella Stewart and Madison Lucas. Cortland starter McKenna Barry (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) escaped when the induced a groundout back to her by cleanup hitter Izzy Pezdek.
 
Cortland left a combined five runners on base over the first three innings before scoring all of its runs in the fourth. With two outs, Kayla Pendergast (West Hempstead) singled to short and Lainie Ornstein (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) singled to third, and a dropped throw at first after Ornstein beat out the hit allowed Pendergast to go to third. Buffalo State elected to intentionally walk Halle Wright (Ballston Spa) with runners on first and third to load the bases, and Smith responded by lining a double to left center to clear the bases and give Cortland a 3-0 lead.
 
Buffalo State (22-18 after Saturday's action) cut the Red Dragons' lead to 3-2 in the fifth. Burck singled with one out but was forced at second on a Grace Albano grounder to the pitcher. Stewart was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second and Lucas and Pezdek followed with RBI singles. Barry struck out the next batter to preserve the lead.
 
The Bengals mounted a final threat in the top of the seventh. Albano beat out an infield single with one out and advanced to second on a Lucas two-out single. Barry got Pezdek to fly out to right to end the game.
 
Barry improved to 11-5 on the season after allowing two runs on six hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Smith finished 2-for-4 with her three-run double, Ornstein was 2-for-3 with a run, and Barry and Pendergast each were 1-for-2 with a walk.
 
Pezdek started for Buffalo State and gave up three runs in four innings. She allowed seven hits and three walks. Lucas gave up only one hit over two scoreless innings of relief, and she was 2-for-2 with a walk and RBI at the plate. Burck finished 2-for-3.