Ninth ranked Red Dragons Swoop Past Garnet
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Garnet sophomore catcher Kira Kern went 3-for-4 and senior Kristin Caspar added two hits with an RBI as Swarthmore dropped both ends of a non-conference softball doubleheader to ninth-ranked Cortland (NY) Saturday afternoon at Clothier Fields.
Red Dragon sophomore Donnalyn Cross went a combined 5-for-9 and homered in each game as Cortland won with games scores of 8-3 and 6-2. The Red Dragons, ranked ninth in Division III, extended their winning streak to 13 games and are 13-1 on the season while the Garnet dip to 6-7 overall.
Red Dragon pitcher Katie Finch (8-0) won the opener, allowing eight hits and one walk while striking out 10 batters. Cross finished 3-for-5 with a homer, triple, RBI and two runs scored and junior catcher Sammi Dieffenbach went 3-for-4 as part of an 11-hit attack.
Kern (Newtown, Pa. / Council Rock North) was 3-for-4 to lead the host Garnet in the first game. Senior Kristin Caspar (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. / Briarcliff) finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and Kathryn Riley ’10 (Dagsboro, Del. / Indian River) went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Pitcher Alexandra Zelaski ‘09 (Middleburgh Heights, Ohio / Midpark) gave up six runs, four earned, over the final five innings in relief, to suffer the loss (2-4).
Cortland took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. A one-out Crystal Carlson single and two-out singles by junior Emily Ringen and Dieffenbach loaded the bases. A passed ball allowed one run to score and the second scored when Jessica Harman reached on an error.
Swarthmore came back with a run in the first when Caspar singled with one out, was bunted to second by Riley and scored on a two-out Elizabeth Cushing ‘12 RBI single. The Garnet took a 3-2 lead in the second on a Caspar RBI fielder’s choice and a Riley run-scoring single.
Cortland answered right back with two runs in the top of the third. After a Jackie Begnoche walk, Ringen bunted and an error on the sacrifice put runners on second and third. Dieffenbach then flied out to right, with Begnoche faking a tag-up from third. A wild throw, however, allowed Begnoche to score anyway and moved pinch runner Alicia Smith to third. Harman’s RBI fielder’s choice scored Smith.
In the fifth, Cortland loaded the bases on a Begnoche single, a Ringen sacrifice, and singles by Dieffenbach and Harman. A wild pitch scored Begnoche. Cross homered to right to lead off the sixth, and Carlson provided the final two runs with a two-run double in the seventh.
Freshman Lyndsay Rowel won the second game to up her record to 4-1. She gave up four hits and one walk, struck out one and allowed two runs, one earned, in six and one-third innings. Riley (3-3) gave up nine hits and six runs, four earned, for the hosts.
Cross and Ringen each finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and Harman drove in two runs for the Red Dragons. Cross homered and doubled in the contest. Cushing was 2-for-3 to account for half of Swarthmore’s four hits.
Swarthmore (6-7) made things interesting with a rally in the bottom of the seventh. Cushing and Krista Scheirer ’11 (Norristown, Pa. / Germantown Academy) led off with singles and a fielder’s choice put runners on first and third with one out. Zoe Hendrickson ’11 (Strafford, N.H. / Coe-Brown Northwood Academy) hit a fielder’s choice to drive in a run, and an error allowed everyone to be safe. Another error on the next play scored a run and put runners on second and third. Cortland junior Maria Carucci entered the game with the potential tying run on deck and recorded a groundout and a pop-up to earn the save.
Swarthmore lines up against Penn-State Berks on Sunday, March 22 for a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is at 1:00 p.m.
GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE
(Story courtesy of Cortland State Sports Information Department)