Cortland Standard .net

MEXICO — The Cortland High softball team got off to a good start in its first road game of the season Thursday afternoon, but Kennedy Lamb made sure the Purple Tigers didn’t get a happy ending.
Mexico’s junior pitcher slammed a walkoff two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to give her team a 6-5 win over the Purple Tigers. The game-winner capped a huge offensive day for Lamb, who helped herself offensively by going 3-for-4 with two home runs, a triple, five RBIs and three runs scored.
“I take a lot of the blame for the loss on this one,” CHS coach Zac Darrow said. “We should have walked Lamb, no questions asked. We played it pretty safe with our early-count pitch calls on her in both of her last two at-bats, but after getting ahead in the count, we got a little greedy and threw her pitches that caught too much of the plate.”
As noted, Cortland (1-1 OHSL Freedom National and overall) got off to a good start with a four-run first inning. Sophomore pitcher Cady Waltz led off with a single and went to second on a bunt single by eighth-grade catcher Erin Shortsleeve before both scored on a long triple to left-center by senior shortstop Talia Cruz. Sophomore third baseman Kacie Hubbard then rode a 1-2 pitch from Lamb deep to right-center for a two-run homer that made it 4-0.
Hubbard hit homer, a solo blast with two outs in the third, to make it 5-0, finishing 2-for-3 with the two homers, three RBIs and two runs. Mexico (1-2 Freedom national and overall) started its comeback in the bottom of the third as Lamb bashed an 0-1 fastball from Walts to left-center for a three-run homer.
Lamb tripled to the gap in right-center to lead off the bottom of the fifth and, after two strikeouts by Walts, came home on an infeld single to make it 5-4. She then snagged a two-out liner by Shortsleeve to end the top of the seventh, with Walts on base with a single.
Cruz made a great play on a grounder by Kourtney Clark, who was called safe on a close play at first. Lamb then pounded a 1-2 changeup to right-center to end the game.
In addition to Hubbard, Walts and Shortsleeve both went 2-for-4 with a run scored while Cruz had the two-run triple. Junior Bailey Willis went 2-for-3 for Mexico to complement Lamb’s offensive outburst.
Walts (1-1) surrendered nine hits and six earned runs with five strikeouts, while Lamb allowed the seven hits and five earned runs while fanning eight Cortland batters.
“We played incredibly well in the field, which I was really proud of since this group hasn’t practiced together as much as we would have liked due to some unavailability of other players,” Darrow said. “Our only error came on a grounder to second when we were looking to turn a double play.
“The top of our lineup was lights-out offensively early on in the game, but slowed down late. We let this one get away, but we’ll learn from it and move on. We’ve still got high hopes for this team and it’s really early yet. Saturday’s game at Jamesville-DeWitt (3:30 p.m. start) should be a great test for us.”
CORTLAND JJs are also 1-1 league and overall after losing to Mexico 14-2. Samara Scott had three hits while losing pitcher Taylor Hart and Natalie Moore collected two hits apiece. The Purple Tigers committed 14 errors in the game, with 10 of the winners’ 12 runs unearned.
The Cortland JVs also visit J-D Saturday in a 3:30 p.m. start.