Games #3 and 5: Cornell vs. Bucknell
First Pitch: Saturday, March 12, at 12:15 p.m.; Sunday, March 13, at 9:00 a.m.
Site: George Mason Softball Complex, Fairfax, Va.
2011 Records: Cornell (1-1, 0-0 Ivy League); Bucknell (1-8, 0-0 Patriot)
Series Record: Cornell leads 6-2
Last Meeting: Cornell won 6-1, March 7, 2010 in Fairfax, Va.

Game #4: Cornell at George Mason
First Pitch: Saturday, March 12, at 4:45 p.m.
Site: George Mason Softball Complex, Fairfax, Va.
2011 Records: Cornell (1-1, 0-0 Ivy League); George Mason (5-4, 0-0 CAA)
Series Record: Cornell leads 9-7
Last Meeting: George Mason won 2-1, March 5, 2011 in Fairfax, Va.

Game #6: Cornell vs. Binghamton
First Pitch: Sunday, March 13, at 11:15 a.m.
Site: George Mason Softball Complex, Fairfax, Va.
2011 Records: Cornell (1-1, 0-0 Ivy League); Binghamton (2-2, 0-0 America East)
Series Record: Cornell leads 13-1
Last Meeting: Cornell won 7-5, May 4, 2010 in Vestal, N.Y.

---

ITHACA, N.Y. —  After splitting its opening weekend in Fairfax, Va. last weekend, the Cornell softball team will return South to play four games at the George Mason Invitational. The Big Red will play Bucknell on Saturday, March 12 at 12:15 p.m. and Sunday, March 13 at 9 a.m., then will also meet George Mason on Saturday at 4:45 p.m. and Binghamton on Sunday at 11:15 a.m.

The Big Red opened the season with a convincing 7-0 win over Rider to start the 2011 season on the right foot, but then surrendered two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning in the nightcap as host George Mason rallied for a 2-1 win.  

As expected, the Cornell pitching staff was outstanding, allowing just one earned run on the weekend as the Big Red's inexperienced bats work their way into form. Four different players saw time in the circle, but opponents could manage just nine hits in 13.2 innings of work. Senior Elizabeth Dalrymple, the two-time Ivy League Pitcher of the Year, struck out five batters to get within five strikeouts of moving into third place all-time in Cornell history (currently 445 strikeouts).

At the plate, 10 different players got into the hits column in the two games, including three newcomers. Freshman Lauren Bucolo had a pair of hits and drove in three runs, while classmate Christina Villalon slammed her first career home run to plate the only score in the 2-1 loss to Mason.

Cornell will face the host school, as well as play two games against defending Patriot League champion Bucknell. The Big Red will close out the weekend with a game against Central New York rival Binghamton, though a Friday evening contest against the Bearcats has been canceled due to inclement weather to start the weekend.

ABOUT BUCKNELL
• Conference: Patriot League
• Head Coach: Heather Rakosik (Muskingum '98), seventh season at Bucknell, 117-181-2.
• The defending Patriot League champions finished the 2010 season with a 28-20-1 record after making an NCAA tournament appearance, falling to California and Ohio State. They are again the preseason Patriot favorite.
• Included among the returners is reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year Alex MacLean in the circle. She posted a 13-6 record with a 2.76 ERA a season ago and sports a 1-5 record and a 2.08 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 33.2 innings of work.
• Through its first nine games, the Bison are hitting .175 with seven extra-base hits.

THE SERIES
• Cornell leads the all-time series between the programs 6-2, including winning four straight.
• The Big Red swept a pair of games from the eventual Patriot League champions, topping Bucknell 10-6 and 6-1 in Fairfax, Va.
• The Big Red has a 34-18 record against teams from the Patriot League (Army 9-6; Bucknell 6-2; Colgate 13-7; Lafayette 0-1; Lehigh 2-2).

ABOUT BINGHAMTON
• Conference: America East
• Head Coach: Michelle Burrell (Maryland '01), second season at Binghamton, 26-21.
• The Bearcats enter the 2011 season after setting a school record for wins (24) in a season a year ago. Binghamton's 24-19 mark was the school's first winning season in Division I play.
• Binghamton set schools records in seven offensive categories a year ago, including home runs, runs scored and RBI.
• Jessica Phillips leads the way early with a .545 batting average and two of the team's six home runs during a 2-2 start. Included was a split of two games with Elon, a win over Tennessee State and a loss at Stetson.
• In the circle, Binghamton's staff has surrendered just 24 hits in 28.2 innings of work, posting a 1.71 ERA.

THE SERIES
• Cornell leads the all-time series between the programs 13-1, including winning four straight.
• The Big Red swept a pair of games from the Bearcats a season ago on the road, topping Binghamton 7-2 and 7-5 in a late season doubleheader.
• The Big Red has a 34-7-1 record against teams from the America East (Albany 5-2; Binghamton 13-1; Boston University 1-1; Quinnipiac 7-0-1; Stony Brook 2-1; Vermont 6-2).

ABOUT GEORGE MASON
• Conference: Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)
• Head Coach: Joe Verbanic (San Diego State '82), seventh season, 110-206.
• George Mason is coming off a 21-24 campaign in 2010, posting its biggest win total since 2005. The squad finished 9-12 in CAA play.
• The Patriots are 5-4 this season after winning three of its last four contests, including a comeback 2-1 win over the Big Red on March 5 in its last contest.
• Junior Katie Rynex has opened 2011 with a bang, slugging a double and three home runs and driving in nine in the team's nine games. She entered the weekend with just one career home run in 46 career contests.
• As a team, George Mason is batting .235 and has a 2.25 team ERA while fielding at a .974 clip.
• In the circle, freshman Kelsey Byrd is 2-2 with a 1.75 ERA in 24.0 innings. Miranda Cranford is 2-2 with a 0.58 ERA,

THE SERIES
• Cornell leads the all-time series 9-7, though George Mason snapped Cornell's four-game win streak with last weekend's 2-1 comeback win. The Big Red has still won seven of the last nine contests between the squads.
• The Patriots won five of the first seven contests between the teams.
• Cornell has a 29-14 record all-time against members of the CAA (Delaware 4-2; Drexel 13-4; George Mason 9-7; James Madison 2-1; Towson 1-0).

30-WINS A STAPLE
• Cornell won 37 games a season ago, the fifth straight year and the 13th time in the last 14 years in has hit the 30-win plateau. The lone year it didn't reach that mark during that stretch was in 2005 when it went 29-17-1.
• To put that in perspective, no other team in the conference has an active streak of 30-win seasons among Ivy teams, and while Cornell has done it 13 times in the last 14 years, the other seven Ancient Eight schools have reached that mark just 11 times combined in the same span.

HOME SWEET HOME
• Cornell is 50-10 at home over the last four seasons, including an impressive 17-1 mark in 2009.
• During that span, the Big Red is 31-5 in league action at Niemand•Robison Field, including 19-1 in the last two seasons.

MOUND GAMES
• Senior Elizabeth Dalrymple, the two-time reigning Ivy League Pitcher of the Year, has posted a 40-12 record over her last three seasons.
• Dalrymple pitched the program's eighth no-hitter against Penn on April 18, 2010, allowing only two walks in a seven-inning complete game. She struck out eight in the contest.
• It was the second no-hitter Dalrymple has been a part of, as she combined with Jenn Meunier on a five-inning no-hitter against Norfolk State on March 9. 2008.
• Dalrymple ranks fifth all-time at Cornell with 44 wins and is third and rising in career strikeouts (445). She enters the weekend needing 35 strikeouts to reach the top of that list, as Julie Westbrock '99 leads the way with 480. She can move up to second with five strikeouts this weekend, as Jenn Meunier struck out 449 in her four seasons.
• Dalrymple ranks 12th all-time in Ivy history in strikeouts and 18th in wins.

DALRYMPLE A LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS NOMINEE
• Senior pitcher Elizabeth Dalrymple has been named one of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior Class Award.
• To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence — community, classroom, character and competition.
• From the list of 30 candidates, a national media committee will select 10 finalists in late March. Those 10 names will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote.
• Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award, which will be announced at the 2011 NCAA Women's College World Series in June.
• Cornell has had several winners of the prestigious national award, including most recently Colin Greening in men's ice hockey in 2010. Other Cornell award winners have been Matt McMonagle (men's lacrosse, 2007) and Max Seibald (men's lacrosse, 2009).
• Cornell and Florida have each had three winners, most among any schools in the country.

NEXT UP
• The Big Red will head back South to Fairfax, Va. for the last of three consecutive weeks to compete in the Mason Cherry Blossom Classic on March 18-20.
• Cornell will play Howard, Albany, Monmouth and the host school over the three-day event.