Box Score (Cornell 3, Harvard 2)
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ITHACA, N.Y. -- Junior
Elizabeth Dalrymple finished the job she started on Friday with her third complete game in two days to give Cornell its fifth Ivy League championship in school history with a 3-2 win over Harvard on Saturday afternoon at Niemand*Robison Field in game three of the conference championship series. The Big Red improved to 37-13, while North Division champion Harvard closed its year with a 27-23 mark.
Dalrymple, who held Harvard in check all day Friday before surrendering a walk-off three-run home run with two outs in the eighth inning of game two against the Crimson, shook off one bad pitch to throw plenty of well-timed ones in Saturday's clincher. She scattered eight hits while striking out seven. One of the runs she surrendered came on an innocent two-out pop fly in the infield in the first that dropped when the ball was lost in the sun. She struck out seven and surrendered the final seven hitters in order to earn her 21st victory in the circle this season.
The Big Red's offensive punch came from a surprising place, as junior
Marissa Amiraian slammed her first career home run to give the Big Red the lead in the third, then came back in the fourth by beating out a two-out, bases loaded grounder to third for a single to provide the winning margin. She entered the contest with six RBI this season before her three in Saturday's finale.
Her big blow came in the third, erasing a 1-0 Crimson advantage. After 94 varsity games and 179 collegiate at bats without a home run, Amiraian finally got to Harvard starter Margaux Black.
Erin Keene, who like her junior teammate was 2-for-2, opened the inning with a single to center. On a 2-1 pitch, Amiraian was able to loft a pitch up into the wind which carried the ball over a leaping attempt by Harvard rightfielder Jennifer Francis' glove for a two-run shot.
The lead would be short-lived, as Harvard's big bat Whitney Shaw hit a blast to center to lead off the fourth to knot the game at 4-4. It was her 13th home run of the year. Cornell answered right back, piecing together a run in the bottom of the fourth that Dalrymple would make stand up.
Ashley Garvey led off the inning with a single down the leftfield line. After a fielder's choice eliminated the lead runner,
Devon March drew Black's only walk of the day and
Vanessa Leonhard flew out for the second out. Keene earned her second hit of the day with a strike back towards the mound that went off Black's glove for a single. That led to Amiraian's hit, a medium roller to third that was played to first. The speedster easily beat out the throw as
Ali Tomlinson crossed the plate for the go-ahead run.
Black threw a great game for the Crimson in taking the loss, allowing just six hits in her 6.0 innings. Melissa Schellberg had a pair of singles as the only Harvard player with multiple hits in the game.
Cornell will now find out its NCAA fate on Sunday, May 16 at 10 p.m. when the Division I Selection Show is televised live on ESPNU.