AMHERST, MASS. – Sophomore Meaghan Kohler (Franklin, NJ/Warren Hills Regional) singled in the winning run with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the seventh as top-seeded Cortland rallied to defeat eighth-seeded Keuka College, 4-3, in the opening game of the NCAA Div. III softball regional at Amherst College.

Cortland, now 39-8, will play Keene State (N.H.) in the second round at a date and time to be announced. The Cortland-Keuka game was originally scheduled for Thursday at 10 a.m., but was pushed back to a 3 p.m. start due to the weather. Therefore, the remainder of the schedule in the eight-team, double-elimination regional has been adjusted. Cortland is tentatively scheduled to play Friday at 5 p.m., but that may change based on how other games play out.

Keuka (22-12) led 3-0 after two and a half innings. The Storm scored twice in the second on back-to-back two-out RBI singles by Brittany Smyder and Danielle Gravel and added a run in the top of the third on a Jill Hart two-out RBI single.

Cortland got a run back in the bottom of the third.  Junior Lucia Meola (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) singled with one out. With two outs, senior Abby Martin (Oswego) doubled to drive in Meola. Martin went to third on the throw home, and tried to score when the throw sailed to the backstop but was thrown out at the plate.

Kohler was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game to lead off the fourth inning. After junior Kayla Lynch (Albany/Colonie) hit into a fielder’s choice to force out Kohler, junior Cassie Kardias (Shrub Oak/Lakeland) hit a double to right center to drive in a run. Senior Lorraine Stoddard (Liverpool) then singled down the right field line to plate Kardias with the tying run.

Cortland’s winning rally started with a leadoff single by junior Nicole Gallo (Mount Sinai), who finished the game 2-for-3. With one out, senior Jessica Harman (Penfield) doubled down the right field line to move pinch runner Charlotte Freed (Great Neck/Great Neck South) to third base. Keuka elected to intentionally walk Martin to load the bases and Kohler ended the game with a single through the left side for her team-high 66th RBI of the season.

Senior Morgan Kuhn (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton) improved to 10-0 after earning the victory in relief of senior Lyndsay Rowell (Sandy Creek). Kuhn allowed only one hit and one walk and struck out six batters in four and a third scoreless innings. Rowell permitted four hits, a walk and three runs in the first two and two-thirds innings with two strikeouts. Gravel (17-5) pitched the distance for Keuka and gave up eight hits, a walk and four runs.

The victory is the 600th at Cortland for 18th-year head coach Julie Lenhart. She has a combined record of 600-221-2 at Cortland after earlier this season becoming the seventh coach in NCAA Div. III history to reach 700 career wins. Lenhart won 120 games in five seasons at Wisconsin-Platteville from 1990-94 before coming to Cortland.

Box Score

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