ITHACA, N.Y.—The Big Red softball team will begin its quest for its fourth Ivy League title, and first since 2004, this weekend as it plays host to Dartmouth for the Ivy Playoffs. In a best-of-three series at the Niemand•Robison Softball Field, the winner will earn the coveted Ancient Eight crown and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Games on Saturday will be played at 12:30 p.m. and approximately 2:30 p.m. If needed, Sunday's contest will begin at 12:30 p.m. Admission is free to all contests. Livestats will be available via CornellBigRed.com. Cornell brings a 40-10 overall and 17-3 Ivy League record into the weekend, while Dartmouth is 22-20 overall and 13-7 against the Ancient Eight.

Limited bleacher seating is available for all games. Fans are invited to create their own seating options around the field.

Game 51 ~ Dartmouth at Cornell
First Pitch: Saturday, May 2, 2009 at 12:30 p.m.
Site: Niemand•Robison Softball Field
Records: Cornell (40-10, 17-3 Ivy); Dartmouth (22-20, 13-7 Ivy)
Season Series: Tied 1-1
Live stats

Game 52 ~ Dartmouth at Cornell (Dartmouth will be home team)
First Pitch: Saturday, May 2, 2009 at approximately 2:30 p.m.
Site: Niemand•Robison Softball Field 
Live Stats

Game 53 (If needed) ~ Dartmouth at Cornell
First Pitch: Sunday, May 3, 2009 at 12:30 p.m.
Site: Niemand•Robison Softball Field 
Live Stats

Last Time They Met
Cornell traveled to Dartmouth on April 5 for a double header. The two teams were tied at 5-5 after regulation and sent the first game into extra innings. The Big Green picked up the victory in the bottom of the 10th inning, 7-5. The Big Red quickly bounced back to win a six-inning 10-2 victory in game two.

Scouting the Big Green
Alyssa Parker is currently ranked seventh in the league in batting with a .373 average, while Ashley Gleason has a .298 overall average. Gleason leads her team with five home runs and 12 doubles. Freshman Molly Khalil is second on her team with a .311 average. Dartmouth has used three pitchers throughout the season. Hillary Barker and Devin Lindsay finished the 2009 season ranked seventh and eighth in Ivy pitching, respectively. Barker has a 2.46 ERA in league games, while Lindsey is at 2.59.

Over the Hill
With a 40-10 record, Cornell has recorded its fourth 40-win season under head coach Dick Blood. For the first time in school history, the Big Red notched back-to-back 40-win seasons. Cornell needs two more victories to tie the school record of 42 that was recorded in 2004.

Great Against the Eight
With 17 Ivy League wins, the Big Red broke the school record for most victories against the Ancient Eight in a single season. The 2009 squad broke the 2008 record of 16.

You're Out!
With 155 strikeouts, sophomore Elizabeth Dalrymple ranks second for strikeouts in a season. She only trails Sarah Sterman, who had 157 in 2002. Sterman, however, set the record while pitching in 211 innings, while Dalrymple has only pitched in 128. Dalrymple set a new school record with 15 strikeouts against Columbia on April 18. The sophomore has five games with 10 or more strikeouts.

Lucky No. 7
For her career, Jessy Berkey ranks in the top eight in seven major categories for the Big Red. They include slugging percentage (.622, second), home runs (30, third), total bases (294, tied-fourth), RBI's (102, fifth), doubles (33, sixth), batting average (.340, seventh) runs (112, seventh), hits (161, seventh), and walks (49, seventh).

If She Stopped Now…
Junior Ashley Garvey has a current career batting average of .406, which ranks her second all-time.

Assault on the Record Book
After her junior season, Alyson Intihar already ranks second all-time in runs scored with 130. She needs 31 more to break the record. Her .377 average is good enough for second all-time at Cornell University. She ranks sixth in hits (180), and needs 47 to break the record. Intihar is tied for third in doubles (39) needs 10 to hold the top spot. She ranks fifth in total bases (279), needs 165 to break record. With 26 stolen bases, Intihar holds the fifth spot.