CORTLAND, N.Y. -- Fredonia ended its 2015 softball season Thursday with two losses in the SUNYAC Tournament at SUNY Cortland.
Tournament host and No. 1 seed Cortland rolled over the Blue Devils, 15-1, in the the first game Thursday morning. Later in the day, Brockport sent the Blue Devils home on the short end of a 10-1 decision.
The two losses ended Fredonia's season at 13-18 overall. The Blue Devils were making their first SUNYAC Tournament appearance since 2011.
Cortland (31-10), ranked No. 22 in the lastest NCAA Division III poll, belted three homers, including a grand slam by Diane Cork, to drop the Blue Devils into the losers' bracket of the double-elimination tournament.
Fredonia took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
Nikki Lent (Yaphank, N.Y./Longwood) singled,
Alyssa Morgan (Homer, N.Y./Homer) walked, and
Jess Lauck (Buffalo, N.Y./Kenmore West) singled, only to have Lent get thrown out after a rundown between third and home.
Lindsey Forness (Allegany, N.Y./Allegany-Limestone) drove in Morgan with a double before the third out of the inning was recorded.
Fredonia starting pitcher
Kelsey Gannett (Endwell, N.Y./Union-Endicott) gave up a pair of hits which led to the tying run in Cortland half of the first inning. A misplayed pop in the infield which would have been the third out left the door ajar and the Red Dragons kicked it open, scoring six unearned runs to take a 7-1 lead. A seven-run second inning by Cortland put the game out of reach.
Brockport jumped on Gannett in the first inning of the elimination game with a three-run homer by Kelly Proper. A three-run homer by Lindsay Wachna as part of a four-run third inning sent the Golden Eagles (19-17) well on their way to the win.
Fredonia's only run came in the top off the fourth -- a single by Forness, a double by
Madeline Medina (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg), and an RBI single by
Maggie Paras (Florida, N.Y./S.S. Seward). It was the second hit of the game for Forness, who went 3 for 3 on the day. She finished the season with a .446 batting average (29 of 65), second highest ever by a Fredonia player with at least 50 at-bats.
In addition, Lauck finished the season with a .408 mark -- seventh highest in program history. She also finished her second straight season without commiting an error, handling 118 chances this year after handling 98 as a junior as the Blue Devil catcher.
It was the final collegiate game for Gannett, Lauck,
Kate Nicholson (Heuvelton, N.Y./Heuvelton),
Cherise Gunnell (Falconer, N.Y./Falconer), andÂ
Kaitlyn Crossan (Dunkirk, N.Y./Dunkirk).