“The team is in a great place, healthy and full of momentum” noted head coach Tom Wilson.

Arden Brown had a solid performance in the 1,500-meter dash with a personal-best time of 5:29.95. Holly Rohrbach would also compete in the 1,500 meters and finish with a new personal-best time of 5:40.42.

Kira Davidson had a personal best in the triple jump with a mark of 10-30 meters, and Hayley Mercer finished the 200 meters with a solid time of 31.13, earning her a new personal best as well.

SOFTBALL

Fredonia State pitcher Vanessa Galbraith delivers to the plate against Cortland on Friday. Photo courtesy of Fredonia State Athletics

FREDONIA STATE DROPS PAIR TO CORTLAND

CORTLAND — The Fredonia State softball team scored a run in the top of the eighth inning to take a 3-2 lead over Cortland in Game 2, but the Red Dragons bounced back with a two-run rally to take the game 4-3. Cortland took the opener by a 5-0 count.

GAME 1

Both teams managed just five hits, but Cortland was able to make better use of its opportunities in the 5-0 win.

Cortland used a bit of charity in the first inning. Three walks and a hit by pitch accounted for the first run. A groundout plated the second, giving the hosts a 2-0 lead.

Cortland scraped together five singles in the fourth inning, plating three more runs with one out. Fredonia State’s Vanessa Galbraith came on in relief of starter Emily Chelius and got the final two outs. Galbraith and Mack Celauro combined for 2.2 innings of hitless relief.

Karlee Weeden tossed the five-hit shutout, striking out three. Five different Devils each had one hit.

GAME 2

The Devils jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. After base hits by Alexis Wulf and Victoria Pauwels, and a stolen base by Pauwels, Erin Cunningham drove in both with a single up the middle.

Cortland halved the lead in the bottom of the first off starting pitcher Galbraith. After the first batter popped up, a single and double got Cortland going. However, the Devils were able to relay the ball to home plate, gunning down the runner for the second out. A dropped fly ball gave Cortland an unearned run before getting out of the inning.

A two-out throwing error by the Devils enabled Cortland to tie the game at 2-2 in the second.

The score would remain that way until the eighth inning.

Wulf singled and was sacrificed to second to start the inning. A wild pitch advanced her to third. Pauwels then continued her hot hitting with a double to give the Devils a 3-2 lead.

In the bottom of the eighth, a walk and single found runners at the corners for Cortland. Celauro then came on in relief of Chelius. A base hit tied the game.

The next batter bunted and it turned into a hit to load the bases. Celauro then induced a ground ball to second base as the Devils nailed the second runner of the game at the plate. With one away, the Dragons plated their final run on an infield error to claim the 4-3 win.

Pauwels and Wulf had two hits apiece to pace Fredonia State. Galbraith threw four innings, giving up two runs, none earned. Chelius held down middle relief, going three-plus innings, giving up two runs, one earned.

The Devils play host to Oneonta and New Paltz next weekend to wrap up the SUNYAC portion of the season.

BASEBALL

BLUE DEVILS FALL TO NEW PALTZ

SALAMANCA — Fredonia State hosted New Paltz on Saturday in a doubleheader at Veterans Park. In the first game, the Devils would play extra innings to decide the winner and eventually fell in the 10th by a score of 10-8. The Devils would go on to drop game two 13-7.

GAME 1

Going into the bottom of the second and down 1-0, Alex Gannon would smash a monster three-run home run to left field, giving the Devils their first lead of the game 3-1. New Paltz would score two runs in the fourth and one run in the fifth to again retake the lead, but again Fredonia State would respond big in the bottom of the fifth.

To start the inning off, catcher Riley Cardinali would single to center field, lead off batter Brady Ventura would be walked and, after a A.J. Roach single, the bases would be loaded for Fredonia State. The Devils would proceed to hit three straight singles to drive in four runs to recapture the lead 7-4.

Moving to the bottom of the seventh, after surrendering one run in the sixth to New Paltz, Fredonia State’s Cardinali would hit a sacrifice fly to left field to bring in another run for the Devils. After a pitching change for the Devils at the top of the eighth and with bases loaded for the Hawks, Dillon Ristano would hit a sacrifice fly to bring the score to 8-6.

The Devils would manage to escape the eighth allowing only one run, but in the ninth would allow two more runs off a error to tie the game. In the 10th, New Paltz would score two more times and would go on to win the game 10-8.

Tyler Curtis would lead the Devils going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Alex Gannon would have a nice day at the plate as well, finishing 1-for-3 with a home run, one run and three RBIs. Garrett Stuckey would score one run, drive in another and collect two hits.

Derrick Walters worked 2.2 innings, allowed four runs, five hits and five walks.

GAME 2

New Paltz would take a 4-0 after the top of the second inning. In the bottom of the second, Fredonia’s Curtis would lace a double and advanced to third off of a wild pitch. Gannon would hit a single to drive Curtis in to give the Devils their first score of the game. Gannon would eventually score for Fredonia off a wild pitch to bring the score to 4-2.

To start the bottom of the third, after allowing a New Paltz to score one run in the top of the third inning, Stuckey would hit a deep solo home run to left field to give the Hawks a 5-3 lead. New Paltz would start to pull away from the Devils after scoring three runs in fifth and sixth.

Going into the bottom of the ninth, Fredonia State would stage a small comeback, scoring three runs, but were stopped short with a final score of 13-7.

Gannon would have another solid performance, batting 2-for-5 with two runs and a RBI. Curtis collected three hits and scored a run.

Michael Bryns pitched 1.2 innings and allowed two runs off of two hits, five walks and two strikeouts.

UP NEXT

The Blue Devils will travel to Plattsburgh to play their final series to close out their season. The first game will take place on Friday at 3 p.m. with a doubleheader being played the following day starting at noon.