Softball Unfazed by Uncooperative Weather

This past weekend, winter weather in Ithaca made it impossible for a spring sport to take place. The softball team was supposed to play its first home games of the season; however Mother Nature had other plans and the scheduled doubleheaders against Ivy foes Harvard and Dartmouth were postponed.

The games against Harvard have been re-scheduled and are set to take place tomorrow. More inclement weather hit upstate New York yesterday and as a result, the doubleheader against Siena, which was supposed to take place today, has been postponed.

Last season, Harvard won the Ivy League Championship after finishing tied with Penn at 14-6 in conference games. The Crimson prevailed in the Ivy League Championship games against the Quakers.

While the Red finished third in conference at 13-7, it did boast a 2-0 record against the Crimson.

“We swept Harvard last year, but obviously, they are a good team because they ended up wining the Ivies,” said sophomore Devon March, who had two hits against Harvard in 2007. “To beat them, we need to continue doing what we did in Florida. [We need to] continue hitting, our pitching has been solid.”

The Red prevailed against the Crimson in both halves of a doubleheader played on a neutral field last season. In the first game, the Red rallied from deficits of 5-0 and 8-3 to eventually prevail 9-8. A five-run onslaught in the sixth inning was crucial, as was the boost the bullpen offered. Current sophomore Dana Robbins pitched the team out of a jam in the fourth inning, which prevented the game from getting out of hand. Haley Mirrer, who at the time was a sophomore, pitched a perfect seventh inning for a save. The Red won the second game of the doubleheader 6-4. [1]Flyin’ lion: Sophomore infielder Alyson Intihar (10) attempts to tag out a Columbia player in the Red’s game against their Ivy foes.

Senior Jenn Meunier, who pitched in both games against Harvard, will start on the mound in one of the team’s Thursday games. Freshman Ali Tomlinson will make her first Ivy League start in the other. The games will be the Red’s first in Ithaca this season. After 22 games played away from home, the team is looking forward to its first chance to play on Nie­mand Robison Softball Field.

“We’re really excited,” March said. “After getting rained out, we were a little disappointed. The excitement has been building. We can’t wait.”

March believes that it is essential that the team get off to a strong start in conference play.

“It’s really important,” she said. “If you can get two wins to start [the season], that’s just great for momentum. Especially against a good team like Harvard, we’d really like to come away with two wins.”