2011 NCAA DIVISION III SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Cortland (NY) Regional – Friday, May 13, 2011
Game One: #1 SUNY Cortland 10, #6 King’s College (PA) 2
Box Score
Recap by Mark Coley
CORTLAND, N.Y. – Host SUNY Cortland tallied five runs on six hits in the opening two innings while junior starting pitcher Lindsay Rowell (Sandy Creek) tossed a one-hitter through four innings en route to a five-inning 10-2 victory over King’s College in the opening game of the 2011 NCAA Division III Regional Championship at Dragon Field.
The Red Dragons (37-3-1), the top seed in the six-team field, will face the loser of today’s third game (third seeded Montclair State University vs. fourth seeded Piedmont College) on Saturday, May 14 at 10:00 a.m. The Monarchs (18-12), seeded sixth, will play the loser of game two between Moravian College and the College of Staten Island in an elimination game later today at 4:00 p.m.
Cortland opened with three runs on three hits in the bottom of the first inning as senior catcher Katie Fusco (Lake Ronkonkoma/Sachem North) singled to left center field to drive in two runs and junior designated player Lorraine Stoddard (Liverpool) drove in the third run on a sacrifice fly.
The Red Dragons added a pair of runs on three hits in the bottom of the second, highlighted by junior shortstop Jessica Harman (Penfield) tagging a two-run single to left centerfield with two outs.
Seven players tallied hits for Cortland, with sophomore third baseman Lucia Meola (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a run batted in. Harman, junior first baseman Abby Martin (Oswego), and senior centerfielder Brooke Weidman (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton) tallied two hits apiece, with Martin and Weidman each scoring twice.
Rowell faced 15 batters, striking out four while walking two to improve to 21-2 on the season. She had a no-hitter going through three and one-third innings before giving up a single. Sophomore Morgan Kuhn (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton) pitched the final two innings, yielding three hits while striking out four batters.
King’s scored both runs in the top of the fifth inning on a two-out double to right center field from freshman outfielder Erin Beane (Sykesville, MD/Century). Freshman starting pitcher Brittany Haight (Warren Center, PA/Northeast Bradford) pitched three and one-third innings, allowing eight hits and eight runs (six earned) before being relieved by sophomore Annie Erndl (Clarksburg, NJ/Allentown), who yielded four hits and a pair of runs with a strikeout.
