May 9, 2013
Red Dragons Softball Slug Their Way Past TCNJ, 11-4, in NCAA Opener
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cortland softball team defeated The College of New Jersey, 11-4, in the opening round of the eight-team NCAA Div. III Regional at Ithaca College. The Red Dragons (29-14), seeded fourth in the double-elimination tournament, will face eighth-seeded Western Connecticut State Friday at 2 p.m. in a winner’s bracket game.
TCNJ (26-14), the fifth seed, will play top-seeded St. John Fisher Friday at 10 a.m. in an elimination game. Fisher lost, 5-3, to Western Connecticut in Thursday’s opening game.
Cortland sophomore shortstop Erin Wolstenholme (Oneonta) hit a grand slam in a five-run fourth inning and finished 1-for-3 with five RBI and two runs scored. Sophomore Courtney Kadish (Williamsville/Williamsville North) went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI and senior Cassie Kardias (Shrub Oak/Lakeland) was 2-for-3 with a walk, RBI and two runs.
Also for the Red Dragons, junior Briana Barca (Eastchester) finished 2-for-3 with a double and RBI, senior Lucia Meola (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) reached base three times on walks and scored twice and freshman Diane Cork (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton) hit a solo homer.
Junior Amber Corrigan (Montgomery/Valley Central) earned the win and improved to 15-4 on the season. She gave up six hits and five walks in seven innings.
TCNJ was led by Jamie Purcell, who went 2-for-2 with a walk, and Lindsey Williams, who drove in two runs.
Cortland scored four runs in the bottom of the third to erase an early 3-1 deficit. Alicia Hibbard (Canastota) drew a one-out walk, Kardias reached on an infield single and Nicole Gallo (Mount Sinai) hit an RBI double to center. Wolstenholme’s squeeze bunt plated Gallo and Kadish hit a two-run double just inside third base.
The Red Dragons broke the game open with their five-run fourth. They loaded the bases on a Meola walk, an error on a fielder’s choice and a Kardias walk. One out later, Wolstenholme blasted a ball over the left-field fence for a grand slam and a 9-3 lead. Kadish then singled and scored on a Barca double to left center. Cortland’s final run came on Cork’s leadoff homer in the fifth.
TCNJ had grabbed a 3-1 lead with two runs in the top of the third. Michelle Casale hit a one-out triple, but was caught off third on a grounder to the third baseman and was out in a rundown. Nicole Brodbeck, however, walked and Williams hit a two-run double to left center, with Brodbeck just beating the throw home for the second run.
Cortland took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Meola walked with one out, took second on a two-out passed ball and scored on a Kardias RBI single up the middle. The Lions tied the game in the second. Purcell singled to shallow left center with one out and Kristen Lake walked. Deanna Utter reached on catcher’s interference to load the bases and Ashley Sogluizzo drove in the run with a fielder’s choice grounder to second.
TCNJ’s final run came on a Lake two-out RBI double in the fifth. Corrigan, however, retired the final seven batters she faced.
Box Score/Play-by-Play
TCNJ (26-14), the fifth seed, will play top-seeded St. John Fisher Friday at 10 a.m. in an elimination game. Fisher lost, 5-3, to Western Connecticut in Thursday’s opening game.
Cortland sophomore shortstop Erin Wolstenholme (Oneonta) hit a grand slam in a five-run fourth inning and finished 1-for-3 with five RBI and two runs scored. Sophomore Courtney Kadish (Williamsville/Williamsville North) went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI and senior Cassie Kardias (Shrub Oak/Lakeland) was 2-for-3 with a walk, RBI and two runs.
Also for the Red Dragons, junior Briana Barca (Eastchester) finished 2-for-3 with a double and RBI, senior Lucia Meola (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) reached base three times on walks and scored twice and freshman Diane Cork (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton) hit a solo homer.
Junior Amber Corrigan (Montgomery/Valley Central) earned the win and improved to 15-4 on the season. She gave up six hits and five walks in seven innings.
TCNJ was led by Jamie Purcell, who went 2-for-2 with a walk, and Lindsey Williams, who drove in two runs.
Cortland scored four runs in the bottom of the third to erase an early 3-1 deficit. Alicia Hibbard (Canastota) drew a one-out walk, Kardias reached on an infield single and Nicole Gallo (Mount Sinai) hit an RBI double to center. Wolstenholme’s squeeze bunt plated Gallo and Kadish hit a two-run double just inside third base.
The Red Dragons broke the game open with their five-run fourth. They loaded the bases on a Meola walk, an error on a fielder’s choice and a Kardias walk. One out later, Wolstenholme blasted a ball over the left-field fence for a grand slam and a 9-3 lead. Kadish then singled and scored on a Barca double to left center. Cortland’s final run came on Cork’s leadoff homer in the fifth.
TCNJ had grabbed a 3-1 lead with two runs in the top of the third. Michelle Casale hit a one-out triple, but was caught off third on a grounder to the third baseman and was out in a rundown. Nicole Brodbeck, however, walked and Williams hit a two-run double to left center, with Brodbeck just beating the throw home for the second run.
Cortland took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Meola walked with one out, took second on a two-out passed ball and scored on a Kardias RBI single up the middle. The Lions tied the game in the second. Purcell singled to shallow left center with one out and Kristen Lake walked. Deanna Utter reached on catcher’s interference to load the bases and Ashley Sogluizzo drove in the run with a fielder’s choice grounder to second.
TCNJ’s final run came on a Lake two-out RBI double in the fifth. Corrigan, however, retired the final seven batters she faced.
Box Score/Play-by-Play
