ITHACA, N.Y. -- The top-seeded Cortland Red Dragons (39-6) beat the eighth-seeded Keuka Storm (23-9) 7-1 Thursday morning in the opening game of the NCAA Division III Softball Regional hosted by Ithaca College. The Red Dragons will play either Alfred or King's Friday at 2 p.m. Keuka will meet the loser of Thursday's Alfred-King's game Friday at 10 a.m. in an elimination game.
Senior Katie Finch improved to 26-2 on the season for Cortland, allowing just two hits (both in the first inning) and striking out nine. Her fifth strikeout of the game -- in the top of the third -- was the 1,000th of her career. She's the 11th Division III pitcher to reach that total.
Sophomore shortstop Jessica Harman led Cortland's offense with three hits, including RBI singles in the first and third innings. Sophomore Kayla Lynch and senior first baseman Emily Ringen had two hits apiece.
Keuka collected both its hits in the top of the first inning, putting three runners on base and taking a 1-0 led. Junior left fielder
Denise Bilbow led off with a single, stole her 34th base of the year and scored on a double to deep left center by sophomore catcher
Sara James (pictured).
Finch allowed only three more base runners (on a walk, a hit batter and an infield error) the rest of the way.
The Red Dragons scored twice in the bottom of the first. Junior second baseman
Donnalynn Cross led off with her 14th triple of the season and continued home on the play. After one-out singles by
Ringen and
Lynch,
Harman singled in the go-ahead run.
Ringen walked to open the third and a double by
Lynch sent pinch-runner
Tara Donnino to third.
Harman's run-scoring single and a groundout off the bat of left fielder
Lorraine Stoddard brought both runners in home.
Ringen and freshman right fielder
Lucia Meola added RBI singles in the fourth and senior
Sammi Dieffenbach closed out the scoring with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Freshman Allison Richter pitched a complete game for the Storm, picking up two strikeouts.
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