CORTLAND, N.Y. - Junior Carrie Stoddard's (Liverpool) pinch-hit grand slam broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the fifth as Cortland defeated DeSales University, 6-2, during the opening day of the four-team NCAA Div. III Softball Cortland, New York Regional.

Top-seeded Cortland (36-11), ranked 19th nationally in Div. III, will face second-seed Heidelberg University Saturday at 11 a.m. in a winner's bracket game. Heidelberg defeated Neumann in Friday's first game, 6-4, on a Mikaela Mitsch two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh. DeSales (17-14) will play Neumann in an elimination game Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ,and the two remaining one-loss teams will finish Saturday's action at 4 p.m.

Cortland trailed 2-1 before tying the game on Diane Cork's (Wayland/Wayland-Cohocton) two-out RBI single in the fourth. In the fifth, Cortland's first two batters reached by errors to put runners on first and third. After a groundout and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, DeSales starter DJ McCauley got the next batter to hit into a fielder's choice that created a force out at home. Stoddard then pinch hit and hit a 1-0 pitch over the right field fence for her first homer of the season.

Jamie Lachall (Philadelphia, PA/Sun Valley) started for Cortland and improved to 15-3 with five innings of five-hit ball. She struck out one, walked none, and gave up two unearned runs. Sarah Salamone (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse) entered after Cortland took the lead and allowed only one hit while fanning four over the last two innings.

McCauley went the distance for the Bulldogs and dropped to 11-5 with the loss. Only two of the six runs she allowed were earned. McCauley permitted nine hits and three walks and struck out three.

Jamie Bucci (Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow) finished 2-for-2 with two walks and a steal for the Red Dragons. Cork and Erin Wolstenholme (Oneonta) each were 1-for-3 with an RBI and Kaleigh Churchill (Camillus/West Genesee) went 1-for-2 with a hit-by-pitch.

For DeSales, Annie Cosentino was 2-for-3 and Carly Bartholomew went 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Cortland led 1-0 in the first on a Wolstenholme RBI single. DeSales tied the game in the second on a dropped fly ball, and the Bulldogs took the lead in the fourth on Bartholomew's RBI groundout.

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