Ithaca, N.Y. -- The top-seeded Cortland Red Dragons (43-6) advanced to Sunday's championship round of the NCAA regional being held at Ithaca College by beating the second-seeded Rochester Yellow Jackets (33-11) 7-1 in Saturday's opening game. The Red Dragons will face either Buffalo State, Rochester or St. John Fisher Sunday at noon; a win would send the Red Dragons to Montclair State as the regional champion and a loss would set up a winner-take-all game at 2 p.m. Sunday. Rochester will play an elimination game Saturday at 2 p.m. against either Buffalo State or St. John Fisher.
Second baseman Donnalynn Cross broke a 1-1 fifth inning tie, bringing in four runs. After three straight singles loaded the bases, Cross tripled to right center field; the throw from the outfield went home and on the catcher's throw back top the pitcher, Cross broke for home and beat the return throw back to the plate.
The Red Dragons added two more runs in the top of the seventh on a pinch-hit single by Steph LaDue and an RBI double by first baseman Emily Ringen. Ringen finished with three hits, including a solo home run that snapped a scoreless tie; Cross and third baseman Jackie Begnoche had two apiece.
Kelly Finch allowed four hits in winning her third game in as many days. She struck out eight Yellow Jackets.
Shortstop Lindsay Macaluso and first baseman Brittany Celeste both had two hits for Rochester. Celeste doubled in second baseman Erin Clark for the Yellow Jacket run.