Cortland Sports Information Department
CORTLAND, N.Y. – Emily Trotman allowed four hits and two runs over 11 innings and St. John Fisher scored three times in the top of the 11th, fueled by a Jessica Sardina RBI double, and the third-seed Cardinals defeated host and second-seeded Cortland, 5-2, to open NCAA Division III regional play.
St. John Fisher (27-15) will face top-seeded and nationally fourth-ranked Williams (34-5) in a winner's bracket game Saturday at 11 a.m., while Cortland (29-15), ranked fourth nationally, will play Framingham State (24-20) in an elimination game at 1:30 p.m. Williams beat Framingham, 2-0, in Friday's second game.
Tournament Web Page
Trotman ran her record to 23-9 as she fanned five batters and walked two. Sam Van Dorn(Medford/Patchogue-Medford) started for Cortland and allowed four hits and two runs over five innings. She struck out two and walked one. Cady Walts (Cortland) entered in the sixth and pitched five scoreless innings before giving up the three runs in the 11th. She struck out five and walked one in five and two thirds innings.
Each team scored twice in the fifth inning. Fisher registered its runs on a Sardina single, a fielder's choice force out, a Trotman double, a Julia Sortisio RBI groundout and a Maddy Pepke RBI bunt single. In the bottom of the inning, Tori Scharff (Poughkeepsie/Arlington) led off with her fourth homer of the season to cut the deficit to 2-1. Kiley Besko (Poughkeepsie/Arlington) and Kelly O'Gorman (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) each singled, with O'Gorman taking second on the throw, to put runners on second and third, and one out later Sabrina Caputo(Westbury/W.T. Clarke) tied the game with a sac fly to center.
Cortland had a good chance to win the game in the eighth, loading the bases with one out on a Taylor Felicello (Marlboro) walk, a Caputo sac bunt, a Cailey Cuttita (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) hit by pitch and an error. Trotman, however, induced a pair of pop-ups to end the threat.
After a 54-minute rain delay following the bottom of the ninth, each team went down 1-2-3 in the 10th. In the top of the 11th Sammie Torlish singled with one out and took second on a two-out wild pitch. Sardina doubled to left center to drive in Torlish, followed by a MaryClaire Grosvenor RBI single and a Trotman infield single. Sortisio greeted reliever Courtney Kane (Bellport) with an RBI single to left center. Trotman retired Cortland in order in the bottom of the 11th.
Each team missed on a solid scoring chance in the first inning. Fisher opened with a Sortisio single and an error on a sac bunt to put runners on first and third, but Sortisio was thrown out at home on a double-steal attempt, followed by a strikeout and a fly out. O'Gorman led off the bottom of the first with a triple and Felicello walked, but the next three batters were unable to capitalize.
Trotman finished 2-for-4, Sardina and Grosvenor were each 2-for-5, and Sortisio went 2-for-6 as Fisher ended with 11 hits. O'Gorman was 2-for-5, Besko went 1-for-3 and Felicello walked twice for Cortland.
