While many Cornellians left campus and traveled for spring break, softball stayed on campus for its matchups against the University of Pennsylvania on March 28 and 29, Drexel University on March 30, Le Moyne College on April 1 and Harvard University on April 3.
The Red welcomed rivals Colgate University to Neimand-Robison Field for a two-game series on Wednesday. The rivalry was played most recently in 2023, resulting in a split series.
Spring Break Action
Softball’s first task was to battle Penn's equivalent outfit in a three-game series. Coming into this matchup, the Red (12-13, 4-5 Ivy) and the Quakers (11-12, 2-1 Ivy) were tied at two series wins apiece since COVID.
Having earned two wins over Bucknell University on March 24, the Red looked to continue its winning momentum against Penn. However, after Penn took game one 7-2, the Red’s odds of winning the series looked dim — further dimmed by a 2-6 deficit in the seventh inning of game two.
In the top of the seventh, the Red’s bats awoke with fury. Sophomore centerfielder Addison Pressley started the rally with a single, which sent freshman third baseman Sophia Hernandez home and moved junior right fielder Hailey Pirkey to third. A wild pitch allowed Pirkey to advance, making the score 4-6.
Sophomore second baseman Charlize Cai got on base with a single, which advanced Presley to third. With two runners on base, senior catcher Lauren Holt then belted the ball past the outfield, giving the Red a 7-6 lead. This lead would not relinquish as sophomore pitcher Mila Fiordalisi earned the save in the bottom of the inning.
The Red’s comeback in game two was the largest deficit it had overturned to this point in the season.
Game three, played on April 5, would start just as poorly as game two. In fact, it would start worse as the Red was facing a 1-7 deficit after four innings. However, Saturday magic was in the air.
In the top of the fifth inning, sophomore third baseman Olivia Green smacked a two-run home run to make the score 3-7.
While effective pitching from sophomore pitcher Emma Harshberger prevented Penn from extending its lead, the Red emerged from the sixth inning still down 3-7, with only one more frame to level or exceed Penn’s score.
After freshman catcher Delailah Lopez grounded out, the Red only had two more outs to play with. The Red’s next batter, Green, doubled to right field, again breathing life into the squad. Following a Pressley single, the tying run was at the plate.
Freshman outfielder Morgan Drotter struck out though, leaving the Red with no outs to spare and still needing four runs to tie the game. Freshman designated hitter Avery Wolfe then resuscitated the Red’s hopes, singling to right field and plating Green and Pressley, cutting the deficit to two.
Still facing two outs, the Red managed to load the bases after a single from freshman left fielder Tarisa Frans and a walk from Holt. Penn shortstop Jaz Johnson had an opportunity to end the game, but she committed an error off Harshberger’s hit, allowing Green to score and re-loading the bases. The Red needed one more run to tie the game.
The Quakers would again have an opportunity to end the game, but right fielder Ella Utschig committed another error, allowing two runs to score and giving the Red the lead 8-7.
In the bottom of the seventh, Harshberger earned the save, finalizing the score at 8-7. In overturning a seven-run deficit, the Red one-upped its previous feat for the biggest comeback of the year.
“They were absolute team efforts,” said interim head coach Tara Smith of both comebacks.
“One of the things we’ve talked about this entire season is our depth, our ability to have everybody contribute when their name is called,” Smith said. “We definitely did that over the past two days.”
Smith emphasized that the comebacks were made possible by the team’s grit and determination.
“We’ve got a belief of confidence about us that carries us through the tough times,” Smith said. “We understand that things are going to be hard at any given moment. It’s easy just to take the easy way out, but we thrive and lean into the hard.”
Smith also praised the team’s “one pitch at a time” mentality when facing the huge deficits.
The Red followed its series win over Penn with a two-game stretch of non-conference games against Drexel and Le Moyne.
On their home turf, the Dragons raced out to a 10-0 lead after the first inning, eventually downing the Red after five innings by a score of 14-6.
The Red fared much better against Le Moyne. Though the score was tied 3-3 through 1.5 innings, the Red batted nine runs over the next two frames, effectively putting the game out of reach for the Dolphins. The game ended 14-5.
These games continue this season’s trend of the Red performing indifferently in non-conference matchups. Through its 16 non-conference games this season, the Red has won eight and lost eight.
A return to conference play saw the Red take a close 7-8 loss in the opening game of its series against Harvard. However, the Crimson continued to build on its momentum throughout the course of the series, taking the next two games by much larger margins.
The Red ended spring break with three wins and four losses.
After-Break Action:
Following the sweep against Harvard, the Red turned its attention to Colgate.
In this year’s edition of the rivalry, the Raiders took game one 5-3, the Red evened the series a few hours later with a 9-8 victory.
On Saturday, the Red will travel northeast to Hanover, New Hampshire to face the Dartmouth Big Green. Action will begin at 12:30 p.m. at Dartmouth Softball Park and will be available on ESPN+.
