Kelly O'Gorman went 2-for-2 in each game (Darl Zehr Photography)
KISSIMMEE, FLA. – The Cortland softball team opened its 2018 season with a 3-2 loss to nationally 12th-ranked Ramapo College, but bounced back to pick up a 7-1 win over St. Norbert College at the D9 Sunkissed Games.
The Red Dragons return to action Monday with games versus Washington-St. Louis at 1:30 p.m. and Arcadia University at 6 p.m.
Ramapo 3, Cortland 2
Ramapo scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to defeat the Red Dragons. Pinch hitter Carli Egan walked to start the inning and, after a fielder's choice led to a force out, Jackie Howarth reached on an error to put runners on first and third.
The next batter lined out to right for the second out, with no advancement by the runners. Harper Patsko then hit a hard liner to right for a single to plate the tying run, and a wild throw to second from the outfield allowed Howarth to come all the way around to score the winning run.
Cortland took a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Tori Scharff (Poughkeepsie/Arlington) walk with one out and Averee May (Highland Falls/James I. O'Neill) drew a two-out walk. A throwing error on a pickoff throw to second by the catcher allowed the runners to move up, and Scharff scored on a passed ball. Andrea Schoonmaker (Marlboro) singled to drive home the second run. Cortland eventually loaded the bases before a lineout to third ended the inning.
Howarth hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth to cut Cortland's lead to 2-1.
Kelly O'Gorman (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) went 2-for-2 to lead the Cortland offense. Sam Van Dorn (Medford/Patchogue-Medford) took the loss after allowing eight hits and three walks in six and two thirds innings. Only one of the three runs she gave up was earned.
Ramapo starter Erin Fitzsimmons threw a complete-game four-hitter with five walks and three strikeouts. She allowed one earned run. Patsko finished 3-for-4 and Nicole Hernandez was 1-for-2 with a walk.
Joelle Salisbury (Rotterdam/Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons) tossed a three-hitter with nine strikeouts and three walks in her Red Dragon debut for the win. The only run she allowed was a leadoff homer by Lexy Campshure in the top of the seventh inning. Campshure finished the game 2-for-3.
Cortland scored three in the bottom of the first on an O'Gorman RBI single and Skyler Hoyt's (Endicott/Union-Endicott) two-run homer to left.
The Green Knights threatened in the top of the third. Carley Frauenhoff hit a one-out double, and a walk, passed ball and another walk loaded the bases. Salisbury, however, got the next two batters to foul out to Hoyt at first, with the second of the two outs a catch as she hit the fence.
Cortland put up two runs in the bottom of the third on Taylor Felicello's (Marlboro) RBI single and Amber Rice's (Adams/A-P-W) RBI double. The Red Dragons finished their scoring in the fifth. Jess Miller (Campbell Hall/Goshen) led off with a pinch-hit double, and pinch runner Sabrina Caputo (Westbury/W.T. Clarke) scored on a Rice single. Rice went to second on a passed ball and scored on a two-out pinch-hit single by Hannah Thornhill (Heuvelton).
Rice finished 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI and O'Gorman was 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored. Alyssa Salisbury (Rotterdam/Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons) was 1-for-2 at the plate, while Schoonmaker, Felicello, Hoyt and Erica Sadowski (Liverpool) each went 1-for-3.
