KING'S SOFTBALLL DOWNED BY CORTLAND STATE 10-2 IN EAST REGIONAL OPENER
CORTLAND, NY – Top-seeded Cortland State wasted little time taking a lead early in the contest and kept the sixth-seed King's College bats at bay on way to a 10-2 win in six innings in the opening game of the NCAA Regional Championships at Dragon Field on the campus of Cortland State.
King's falls to 18-12 overall and will play the loser of Moravian College and College of Staten Island Friday at 4:00 p.m. in an elimination game. Cortland State improves to 37-3-1 and will advance to the winners side of the bracket Saturday at a time to be determined.
The top-seeded Red Dragons jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after their first at-bats. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Cortland with one out. From there, Katie Fusco singled to center field plating two runs while moving runners to the corners. Lorraine Stoddard's deep fly ball to left field scored the final run of the frame for the hosts.
Cortland was back at it in the second, extending the lead to 5-0 using three hits to provide the damage. Two straight singles led off the inning before Jessica Harman connected on a triple to right centerfield scoring both Red Dragon runners. Harman would stay stranded on third as Kaitlin Siegfried recorded the third out of the inning with a running catch down the left field line.
King's put their first base runner on in the third when Gretchen Tholen drew a one out walk. After a Rachel Zinni strikeout, Jenn Harnischfeger drew another walk to put runners on first and second with two outs. Erin Beane then delivered a sharply hit ball to second where Harnischfeger interfered with Cortland's second basemen making the play to end the Lady Monarch rally.
Brittny Baynes broke up the no-hit affair in the top of the fourth with a one out single to left field. Baynes moved to second on a Rebecca Taylor groundout to Cortland pitcher Lyndsay Rowell, but Rowell ended King's hopes striking out her fourth batter of the contest when Kayla Rutkoski was caught looking.
Cortland exploded for four more runs in the fourth. After a pop out to shortstop, Cortland's Brooke Weidman singled and stole second to setup the inning. A King's miscue led to the first Red Dragon run when Rutkoski dropped a throw from Rebecca Taylor on a slap hit from Donnalyn Cross scoring Weidman. Another Red Dragon single scored Cross to put Cortland up 7-0. Annie Erndl then entered in relief of starter Brittany Haight with one out and a runner on second. After Erndl forced a flyout to right field to record the second out, Abby Martin connected on a two-run home run over the left centerfield fence to push the lead to 9-0 after four innings.
King's kept their hopes alive in the fifth scoring two runs to cut the deficit to 9-2. Tholen started the cause with a single through the left side. After a Zinni free pass, Beane connected on a two-run double to right centerfield plating Tholen and Zinni.
Cortland had a rally going in the fifth trying to plate a run to set the eight-run rule into effect, but Erndl stranded two Red Dragon runners with a fly out to centerfield and a pop out to second base.
The Red Dragons notched the game's final run in the sixth to take a 10-2 lead and end the hopes of a King's comeback. Meola doubled down the left field line and moved to third on a Harman single to right field. A sacrifice fly to right field then plated the game-winning run for Cortland as the contest was then halted due to the eight-run rule.
King's garnered four hits in the game with Beane leading the way with a two-run double accounting for the Lady Monarchs two tallies. Baynes, Taylor, and Tholen each added one hit
Meola led Cortland with three hits and one RBI while Harman, Martin, and Weidman each added two hits.
In the circle, Haight went three and one-third innings allowing eight runs (six earned) on eight hits to record the loss. Erndl did a nice job in relief going two innings allowing two runs on four hits with one strikeout.
For Cortland, Rowell was nearly unhittable going four scoreless innings allowing just one hit with four strikeouts. Morgan Kuhn entered in relief pitching two innings allowing two runs on three hits.
