A pair of slugfests went the way of the Tompkins Cortland Community College softball team Tuesday as the Panthers wept a doubleheader from Finger Lakes Community College, 14-6 and 20-11. The Panthers are now 4-6 overall and in Region III. Finger Lakes drops to 2-18 overall and 1-11 in region.

Game 1: Tompkins Cortland 14, Finger Lakes 6   (5 innings)

The start was rough for the home team, with Finger Lakes scoring four runs in the top of the first inning, but the Panthers responded quickly. In the bottom of the first, Miranda Oot (McGraw/McGraw H.S.) stroked a two-out, two-run double to get the Panthers on the board and cut the FLCC lead to 4-2. The second inning saw seven runs cross the plate for the Panthers, with Briana Stafford (Dryden/Dryden H.S.) stroking a three-run double to provide the highlight hit. Three runs in the third made the score 12-4, and after a scoreless fourth, the game moved to the fifth with the Panthers looking to end the game with the eight-run rule.

Finger Lakes extended the game with two runs in the top of the fifth, but a two-run single from Oot pushed the lead back to eight runs, ending the game at 14-6.

Bailey Rose (Dryden/Dryden H.S.) had a big game both pitching and hitting. She threw all five innings, striking out three while allowing five earned runs. At the plate, she went 2-for-2 with two walks and four runs scored. Oot drove in five runs while going 3-for-4 and Ashley Aloi (Cortland/Homer H.S.) went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI. Every other Panther in the starting lineup recorded a hit and seven of the nine scored at least one run in the opening game win.

Game 2: Tompkins Cortland 20, Finger Lakes 11  (5 innings)

Playing as the visitors and batting first in the second game, the Panthers got on the board early with a solo home run off the bat of Sarah Hollenbeck (Candor/Tioga Center H.S.). The Lakers responded with a run in the bottom of the frame, starting what would prove to be a back-and-forth game.

In the second inning, Tompkins Cortland took advantage of three Finger Lakes errors to score two runs, but the Lakers returned the favor in the bottom of the inning, using three Tompkins Cortland errors to spark a six-run inning. Trailing 7-3, the Panthers scored three in the third, with Hannah Mikulski (Johnson City/Johnson City H.S.) stroking a two-run double to pull the Panthers within a run at 7-6 in the middle of the third inning. The Lakers scored a run in the bottom of the inning to lead by two, but the Panthers kept at it, sending ten batters to the plate and scoring five runs in the fourth to lead 11-8. When Finger Lakes scored three times in the bottom the fourth, the game was knotted at 11-11 heading into the fifth.

In the fifth inning, Finger Lakes pitchers walked six of the first nine Panthers to come to the plate. A total of 14 Panthers came to the plate, with nine scoring to make the score 20-11. When the Panthers retired the Lakers without a run in the bottom of the fifth, it not only ended the game due to the run-rule, it also marked the only time either team didn't score a run in their half of an inning in game two.

Several Panthers put up big numbers in game two. Hollenbeck finished a triple shy of the cycle, going 3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored.  Emily Aloi (Cortland/Homer H.S.) also went 3-for-4, scoring four runs and driving in two more. Mikulski went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and four RBI and Shelby Koch (Union Springs/Union Springs H.S.) went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBI. Oot finished her big day by going 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and two RBI. As in game one, each Tompkins Cortland starter had at least one hit in game two.

Rose earned the win in the circle, finishing with an interesting line of 5 innings, 12 hits allowed, 11 runs, but only 2 earned, and 4 strikeouts. The wins in both ends of the doubleheader improves her pitching record to 4-5 this season.

The Panthers play at Corning Community College Thursday.