At this weekend’s George Washington Colonial Classic in Washington D.C., the Red earned its first win of the season, but it came with three more losses.
“The losses are tough,” said Head Coach Julie Farlow ’97. “But they highlight weaknesses and what needs to be cleaned up in order to win.”
The Red (1-8) got off to a tough start Saturday morning with a 10-0 loss to the University of Maryland Baltimore County that spanned only four-and-a-half innings.
UMBC took the early lead with seven runs in the first inning, and then followed up with another three runs in the second. The Red managed to hold off the Retrievers for the remaining innings, but also failed to get on the board, forcing the game to end in the fifth inning due to mercy rule.
The game, however, did highlight the strength of the Red’s freshman class. Freshman infielder Olivia Rooney hit two doubles, while classmate Ashley Delany pitched two scoreless innings.
Later that day, the Red suffered another loss, this time to Manhattan College 6-2.
The Jaspers earned a run in the first inning, and the Red responded in the second when freshman infielder Miranda Lawson scored on a wild pitch.
Manhattan ramped up the heat with three runs in the fourth inning, then two more in the sixth. The Red managed a run in the seventh with an RBI from Lawson, but it was too little and too late.
Junior Lisa Nelson pitched all six innings for Cornell. Though Manhattan brought more runners home, the Red and the Jaspers both had eight hits in the game.
The Red turned it around the next morning to earn its long-awaited first win of the 2019 season, 9-5 over Canisius College.
Cornell started off stronger this game, scoring four runs in the second inning off of two two-run singles. Junior Bridget Rooney hit the first one, sending Lawson and freshman outfielder Hanna Crist home. Later, freshman infielder Allison Kerce hit both Rooney sisters home.
The Griffs responded with three runs in the fifth, and then in the sixth, Delany crossed the plate — this time brought home by a triple by junior Erin Rockstroh. Canisius responded with two runs of its own in the sixth, bringing the score to 6-5, but the Red ran away with the win in the seventh, scoring three runs to ice the game.
Farlow said an early lead helped the Red secure the win.
“We’ve been trailing early in so many of our games and that puts your defense on their heels and takes away a lot of offensive options,” Farlow said.
Yet the Red failed to carry on its winning momentum later that day, losing again to Manhattan College, this time 8-1. Cornell recorded seven hits from seven different players but scored only one run for the effort.
Despite the Red’s 1-8 record, Farlow says its goals for this season “remain the same.” The Red continues to focus on the process.
“[We will] make adjustments and learn from game experiences,” Farlow said. “I think we looked better than we did opening weekend so we’re making progress.”
The Red will have the opportunity to look even better this coming weekend as it heads to the George Mason Invitational in Virginia. This will be the Red’s last competition before it begins Ivy play.