Cortland Loses 2-0 Battle at #4 Rowan to Finish Second at NCAA Regional
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
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Cortland Sports Information Department
GLASSBORO, N.J. - The Cortland softball season came to a close as the Red Dragons lost to top-seeded and nationally fourth-ranked Rowan, 2-0, in the championship round of the 2025 NCAA Division III Glassboro, N.J. Regional.
Cortland, the fourth seed in the four-team regional, needed to beat the host Profs twice on Sunday to win the regional. The Red Dragons finish the season 25-16, including a 21-4 record over their final 25 games. Cortland was making its 24th NCAA tournament appearance and first since 2019, and the Red Dragons officially finish tied for 17th nationally.
Rowan improved to 46-2 and will host a super regional best-of-3 versus Salisbury Thursday and Friday. The Profs are looking to advance to the NCAA Division III World Series for the third straight year.
Rowan starting pitcher Emily McCutcheon tossed a five-hit shutout to improve to 20-1 on the season. She struck out two and didn't walk anyone. Cortland starter McKenna Barry (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) was strong as well, giving up two runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and a walk to the potent Profs lineup.
Rowan scored both of its runs in the bottom of the first inning. McKenzie Melvin was hit by a pitch with one out and stole second with two outs. Abigail Pawlowski doubled to drive home Melvin and Breanna Bryant followed with an RBI single.
Cortland's defense recorded double plays in the second, third and fifth innings, and Barry escaped a second and third, one-out jam in the fourth with a strikeout and groundout, to keep the Red Dragons within striking distance.
Cortland threatened in the top of the fourth when a Halle Wright (Ballston Spa) single, a fielder's choice force out and a Maggie Cummings (Holland Patent) single put runners on first and third with one out. McCutcheon, however, posted a strikeout and groundout to keep Cortland off the board.
In the top of the fifth, Shannon Scotto (Putnam Valley/Lakeland) reached on an error and pinch runner Emily Stavola (Somers) moved to second with two outs after a groundout. Lainie Ornstein (Yorktown Heights/Yorktown) singled to third, but Stavola got caught in a rundown between third and home and was tagged out to end the inning.
Cortland battled again in the top of the 7th. Barry led off with a single up the middle and LaMont singled to left. The next three Red Dragon batters all hit hard liners, but each was caught - one in right field, one at first base and one in center field - to end the game.
Barry and Wright were named to the regional all-tournament team. McCutcheon was named the regional tournament MVP and was joined on the all-tourney team by teammates Rylee Lutz, Payton MacNair and Liz McCaffery, along with Bela Jimenez and Heaven Oliva of Tufts and Ava Markert and Addison Shaffer of RPI.
