The softball team hits the road this weekend for its final Ivy League series, a four game set with the Princeton Tigers that could decide who takes the conference’s South Division Title.
The Red (20-21, 11-5 Ivy League) comes into this series tied for the top of the division with rival Penn (28-15, 11-5). The Quakers also have an extremely important series this weekend against Columbia.
Between the Red and the Quakers, the team that wins the most games this weekend will come away with the South Division Title and will battle Harvard in the Ivy League Championship series. However, if the two teams are still tied after this weekend, they will play a one-game playoff to decide who will represent the division in the conference championship.
The scenario of Cornell and Penn going down to the wire to decide who will play in the Ivy League Championship is not an unfamiliar one. Last season, the two teams went down to the final game of the season, with the Red coming out on top in a 1-0 nailbiter, securing its third straight South Division Title.
After getting off to a slow start, the Red offense has come alive as of late, now batting .312 with 23 homeruns on the season. Senior infielder Morgan Cawley leads the squad at .321 with 12 RBIs and sophomore infielder Jenny Edwards has provided some much-needed power with 8 homeruns and 24 RBIs. The pitching staff has provided a solid backbone for the team all season. Seniors Lauren Marx and sophomore Alyson Onyon have a combined record of 15-6 on the season. Onyon also leads the team with 94 strikeouts.
The squad is looking for its fourth straight South Division Title, while the Tigers are looking to stay in the race with a sweep of the Red. Princeton is led by Kelsey VandeBergh, who is hitting .333 and Alex Peyton who sports a team-best 3.31 ERA.
The Red will round off regular season play with a doubleheader against Binghamton the Wednesday after the all-important series with Princeton.
Original Author: Scott Chiusano