CORTLAND, N.Y. - The Cortland softball team dropped both ends of a non-conference doubleheader to the University of Rochester on Tuesday afternoon at Dragon Field, falling 10-0 in five innings in the opener before coming up short, 8-2, in Game 2. Cortland moves to 19-14 on the season, while Rochester improves to 27-7.
 
Game 1 - Rochester 10, Cortland 0 (5 inn.)
 
Cortland was held without a hit as Rochester pulled away late for a 10-0 win in five innings. Molly Broccolo tossed the five-inning no-hitter, striking out three while walking two to lead the Yellowjackets.
 
Despite being held hitless, Cortland had an early opportunity to take the lead in the third inning. Kayla Pendergast (West Hempstead) reached on an error and advanced to second, and later attempted to score on another miscue, but was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. Katie Stork (Massapequa) and Kayla Santo (Franklin Square/Valley Stream North) also reached base via walks in other innings.
 
The game remained scoreless through three innings before Rochester broke through in the fourth. The Yellowjackets scored four runs in the frame, highlighted by a two-run double from Marie Kinchington.

Rochester added six more runs in the fifth inning to put the game out of reach. Riley Laygo delivered the big blow with a grand slam to center field.  Kinchington finished with three RBI's, while Madi Paige added two hits and two RBI's.
 
Olivia DiSalvo (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) over three innings. Riley Firenze (Selden/Newfield) and Sophia Wahl (Schuylerville) also saw time in the circle in relief.
 
Game 2 - Rochester 8, Cortland 2
 
Rochester tallied 13 hits and had a four-run sixth inning that helped them pull away to complete the sweep.
 
The Yellowjackets struck first on a solo home run by Katelyn Wade in the second inning and added single runs in the third and two in the fourth to build a 4-0 advantage.
 
Cortland answered in the fifth inning. Stork singled and stole second to set the table for Laila Smith (Guilderland), who launched a two-run homer down the left-field line to cut the deficit to 4-2.
 
Rochester responded immediately in the sixth, recording six hits to score four runs and extend the lead to 8-2.
 
The Red Dragons finished with eight hits in the game. Santo led the way with a perfect 3-for-3 performance, while Smith went 2-for-4 with the two-run home run. Sam Pusloskie (Clarence) added a double, while Stork and Sabrina Chapman (Franklin Square/H. Frank Carey) both chipped in a hit.
 
Gianna Endieveri (Glens Falls) took the loss after allowing eight runs (seven earned) over five innings. Molly Farley (Goshen/Chester Academy) tossed two scoreless innings in relief.
 
For Rochester, Wade was 3-for-4 with two RBI and five other players had two hits apiece. Maddie White gave up two runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts and no walks over six innings for the win.
 
This Friday and Saturday Cortland will be traveling to Canton and Oswego, respectively,  to finish off regular-season play. The Red Dragons are currently in second place in the league at 10-4, a game better than 11-5 Oneonta and two games ahead of three teams (Buffalo State, Fredonia and Oswego) that are each 8-6. The top six teams qualify for the SUNYAC tournament. New Paltz, which has clinched the top seed, will host the tournament May 7-9. The third through sixth seeds will play in single-elimination games to start, with the two surviving teams joining the top two seeds for a double-elimination tournament from that point.