This weekend, softball (11-9, 3-3 Ivy) took on Dartmouth College (10-11, 3-2 Ivy) at Niemand-Robison Field. Cornell won two games and lost one in a hard fought series.
Game one of the Friday doubleheader was a 6-5 win for Cornell. Dartmouth opened the scoring with a sacrifice bunt in the third inning. In the bottom of the third, Cornell responded when junior infielder Ella Harrod singled to drive in two runs, bringing the score to 2-1. Dartmouth scored four unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh innings to take a 5-2 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.
With three outs to score four runs, Cornell answered the call and rallied in the bottom of the seventh. Junior outfielder Sydney Stapf started the rally with an RBI double to center field. Junior catcher Lauren Holt continued moving the line with a single to left field, driving in two runs and knotting the score at 5-5. Freshman infielder Emma Harshberger walked it off by scoring on a wild pitch, completing a 6-5 comeback win for the Red.
Junior Kyrie Denny pitched six innings, giving up three runs and striking out three. The winning pitcher was freshman Mila Fiordalisi.
“That was a good way to start the weekend, for sure,” said head coach Julie Farlow ’97. “Having been in that position already in the season, where we’ve had some late game comebacks … prepared us knowing that we can continue to fight until the last out.”
The second game of the doubleheader was a loss for the Red. Dartmouth once again opened the scoring with a three-run homer, forcing Cornell to play from behind for the duration of the game. In the bottom of the first, freshman outfielder Charlize Cai hit a sacrifice fly to drive in a run for Cornell, bringing the score to 3-1. Dartmouth responded in the top of the second with another home run, but Cornell was able to tie the score at 4-4 in the bottom of the second with a series of RBI singles from Harrod and Harshberger and an RBI double from Holt.
Dartmouth continued to live by the long ball with a single shot to center field in the third, and Cornell once again tied the game in the bottom of the third with a Stapf RBI single. In the bottom of the fifth, Stapf struck again, this time with a two-run homer which gave Cornell a 7-5 lead. In the top of the sixth, Dartmouth took back the lead and extended it in the top of the seventh inning with its fourth home run of the game. Cornell was unable to rally in the bottom of the seventh and lost by a score of 9-7.
“Those first two games reminded us that we just need to keep scoring,” Farlow said. “What we took from those first two games is that enough is never enough. We have to keep pounding on them when we can, and keep adding runs when we can.”
The final, pivotal game of the series was a thrilling win for Cornell. For the third game in a row, Dartmouth scored first, this time with a sacrifice fly in the first inning. Cornell, however, made a statement with seven unanswered runs, including a six-run first inning. The bottom of the first saw Harshberger and Holt each hit a home run, and a single from sophomore infielder Maddie Ullensvang drove in two more runs.
As the game wore on, Dartmouth attempted to mount a comeback, bringing the score to 7-6 but failing to steal back the lead. Another Holt home run in the bottom of the fourth extended the lead for Cornell. In the top of the sixth, Dartmouth once again made it close with a double to right field, scoring two runs. Cornell closed the door with a three-run sixth inning, including RBI singles from Harrod and Harshberger. Cornell took the victory by a score of 13-9 and won a tough series.
The Red’s winning pitcher was Denny, who pitched three innings, allowed one earned run, and struck out three.
“Coach [Tara] Tembey drew up a really good offensive plan for the week, and our players were patient and followed that. That certainly helped in our success,” Farlow said.
Cornell’s next Ivy League action will come on the road against Brown University in a three-game series kicking off at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 5th. Fans looking to catch the games live can find coverage on ESPN+.
