Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ITHACA, N.Y. - In its first SUNYAC games of 2014, the Plattsburgh State softball team dropped a pair of 9-1 decisions to SUNY Cortland at Niemand*Robinson Field on the campus of Cornell University on Monday afternoon. 

The Cardinals slide to 2-12 and 0-2 in league games while the Red Dragons rise to 9-7 and 2-0 in the SUNYAC.

GAME ONE: SUNY Cortland 9, Plattsburgh State 1 (5 inn.)
Box Score
Offense was tough to come by for the Cardinals, who collected just three hits against the Red Dragons' Alexandrea Flint (3-3).

Junior Brittany Marshall knocked in the lone Plattsburgh State run of the tilt and went 1-for-2 at the plate. Her RBI single in the top of the fourth plated Kristine Gay who also finished 1-for-2.

The three through seven hitters of SUNY Cortland wrought all the damage against Plattsburgh State starter Sam Moss (2-6). Combined, the five players finished 7-for-10 with all nine RBI for the Red Dragons.

SUNY Cortland used the long ball to get on the board in the home half of the first inning as consecutive homers by Alicia Hibbard and Meaghan Kohler made matters 3-0 early on.

Courtney Kadish launched another Moss offering out of the park to lead off the bottom of the second, giving the Red Dragons a 4-0 lead.

Marshall's hit trimmed the lead to 4-1, but the Cardinals stranded runners at second and third in the fourth. Four more runs in the home half of the fourth followed and the Red Dragons closed things out with another solo shot by Kohler to create the eight-run margin.

Moss fired 4.1 innings, struck out one and walked one in the setback. The sophomore gave up nine earned runs, too.

GAME TWO: SUNY Cortland 9, Plattsburgh State 1 (5 inn.)
Box Score
A sloppy defensive effort by the Cardinals led to six unearned SUNY Cortland runs in the second game of the conference doubleheader.

Plattsburgh State committed five errors during the lopsided tilt as the Red Dragons struck early and often. Kristen Fisher gave up a leadoff hit and followed that up with a base on balls before registering her first two outs of the day.

Carrie Stoddard staked the home team to an early 2-0 lead when her two-run infield single plated the SUNY Cortland runners who had reached earlier in the inning.

Erin Wolstenholme upped the Red Dragons' lead to 4-0 when she collected two RBI on a single in the third. Gay cut into the SUNY Cortland lead when her one-out single scored Shelby Heyward from second base, but the Cardinals left two runners on the base paths as the frame came to a close.

Morgan Anderson issued a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the fourth and another RBI base knock by Stoddard added another unearned score to up the Red Dragons' edge to 6-1. All three runs plated by SUNY Cortland in the home half of the fifth were unearned. The final pair touched the dish due to a throwing error by Kayla Rabideau.

Gay put up two of the Cardinals' six hits as well as the lone RBI. Plattsburgh State marooned six base runners during the game. Fisher (0-4) took the loss and lasted 3.1 innings. The sophomore surrendered six hits and five runs – only three of which were earned.

Sarah Salamone improved to 3-0 for the Red Dragons with the complete-game effort.

As of Tuesday night, the Cardinals are scheduled to play a doubleheader with SUNY Potsdam in Cardinal Park at 4 p.m. on Friday. That is likely to change as snow is still blanketing the field. Keep checking GoCardinalSports.com and follow Plattsburgh State Athletics (@PburghCardinals) as well as the Plattsburgh State softball team (@CardsSball) on Twitter for the most up-to-date information regarding schedule changes throughout the spring sports season.