CORTLAND, N.Y. – Sophomore pitcher Emily Trotman scattered just four hits over 11 innings of work as the St. John Fisher College softball team outlasted SUNY Cortland on Friday, 5-2, to win its opening game in the 2019 NCAA Division III Softball Championship at Dragon Field.  With the win, Fisher, which will advance to Saturday's winners' bracket, improved to 27-15 on the season while the Red Dragons, who are ranked 24th in the latest national poll, fell to 29-15 with the loss.

Trotman moved to 23-9 in the circle as the East Amherst native yielded just two runs in the win and finished with five strikeouts.

At the plate, the Cardinals had 11 hits in the win led by Julia Sortisio who finished with a pair of hits on the day and two RBI.  The senior outfielder now sits at 199 career hits.  Jessica Sardina, Mary Claire Grosvenor and Trotman each came away with two hits at the dish while Ashley Prince was 1-for-4 in the game and also needs just one more hit to notch 200 her in career.   
 
The Red Dragons looked like they were set up for a big first inning after putting the first two hitters on with a triple and a walk.  Sophomore pitcher Trotman settled in, however, and retired the next three hitters to keep it scoreless heading to the top of the second.

The game remained deadlocked through the first four inning until the top of the fifth when the Cardinals broke through with two runs on three hits.  Sardina led off the frame with a single but was erased on the next play as Grosvenor failed to put down a successful sacrifice bunt, but reached on a fielder's choice.  With a runner at first, Trotman doubled to left center while Sortisio came up with an RBI on a groundout to give Fisher a one-run edge.  From there, Maddy Pepke drove in a run with a single to the pitcher as Trotman scampered home with Fisher ahead 2-0 on the scoreboard. 

In the home half of the fifth, Cortland got both runs back after clubbing a leadoff home run before driving in the tying run with a sacrifice fly to center to knot the game up at two runs apiece.

With the score still tied through seven full innings, the game headed to extras where the Red Dragons loaded the bases with just one out in the bottom of the eighth.  As had been the case in the first inning, Trotman worked out of a jam with two quick outs to send it to the top of the ninth.

Neither team was able to get anything going in the ninth and 10th innings, but as the frame turned over, Fisher took advantage of a stoppage in play due to rain as the Cardinals plated three runs on five hits in the top of the 11th to seal the win.  Sammie Torlish laced a single through the right side and moved to second following a wild pitch.  From there, Sardina drove her in with a double to left and came around to score when Grosvenor singled down the right field line to make it 4-2.  As the inning continued, Fisher padded its lead with a single to center by Sortisio before the Red Dragons could end the threat.

The Cardinals will look to keep their momentum going on Saturday when they take on the winner of No. 2 Williams and Framingham State in Cortland.