Cortland Standard .net

ITHACA — After pulling out a 1-0 victory over 10 innings to begin this doubleheader with Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland finished off Wednesday’s softball sweep by capturing the nightcap 4-3 over the Bombers.
Devynn Wilder’s drove home the winning run with an infield single in the opening contest played at Cornell University’s turf field, and Cortland then scored runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take the second game and improve to 8-6 on the season.
The doubleheader was originally scheduled to be played at Cortland, but was moved to Cornell due to field conditions.
The Red Dragons are supposed to play SUNY Athletic Conference doubleheaders Friday at Brockport and Saturday at Geneseo, but those dates may be changed due to the upcoming weather forecast.
Cortland 1, Ithaca 0, 10 innings: Cortland and Ithaca played nine scoreless innings before the NCAA tie-breaker rule, with a runner starting on second base, was used to start the 10th inning.
Ithaca quickly put runners on second and third with no outs after a Jessie Fleck bunt single. Cortland pitcher Jamie Lachall got out of the jam, however, with a groundout, pop-up and groundout to keep the game at 0-0.
The Red Dragons winning rally started with Diane Cork being placed at second. Niki Barbato walked and the runners moved to second and third on an Erin Wolstenholme groundout. Wilder followed with a single to shortstop to give Cortland the walk-off win.
Lachall improved to 3-2 with three innings of two-hit scoreless relief. She struck out one and walked none. Sarah Salamone started and gave up four hits and one walk. Kirstyn Alonzo threw the next inning and two thirds and allowed two hits.
Laura Quicker went the distance in the circle for Ithaca. She allowed five hits and seven walks, struck out three.
Cortland’s Jamie Bucci finished 2-for-5, Barbato walked twice and Wolstenholme drew three walks for Cortland. Fleck went 3-for-4 and Emily Bloom was 2-for-4 for the Bombers.
Cortland stranded runners second and third in the first inning and left the bases loaded in the second. The Red Dragons also had runners on first and second in the seventh but couldn’t score.
Ithaca’s best scoring chance in regulation came in the third. Nina Lindberg and Fleck led off with singles and moved to second and third on a Francesca Busa sacrifice. Allie Colleran then grounded to the pitcher and Lindberg was thrown out in a rundown between third and home. A pop-up ended the inning.
Cortland 4, Ithaca 3: Cortland broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the sixth when Rosie Phillips led off with a triple to right and scored two batters later on a Cork RBI single to right. The Red Dragons tied the game in the fifth on a two-out Makaylee Dowd (2-for-3) run-producing RBI infield single.
Cortland grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first with two outs on a Barbato walk and Wolstenholme RBI double to center. Ithaca tied the game in the second on Nicole Ciricillo’s RBI single, but the Red Dragons regained the lead in the bottom of the inning. Dowd led off with a single, was bunted to second by Kaleigh Churchill and scored on a error on a ball hit by Phillips.
In the top of the third, Colleran led off for Ithaca with a single and Busa reached on an error. After Bloom bunted the runners up, Kelly Robichaud grounded out, and an error after the groundout let a run score. Casey Gavin followed with an RBI double and Ithaca led 3-2.
Katie Pitkin earned her first collegiate victory after throwing four scoreless innings in relief. She scattered five hits, struck out one and did not walk anyone.
For Ithaca, Gavin went 2-for-2 with an RBI, Bloom was 2-for-3 and Robichaud went 2-for-4.