ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell softball team opens its 20th season of Ivy League play on a renovated Niemand*Robison Field with doubleheaders against Yale and Brown this weekend. Cornell will begin its quest for a fifth consecutive division title when it meets the Bulldogs on Saturday, March 30 at 12:30 p.m., then faces the Bears on Sunday, March 31 at 12:30 p.m.

Cornell has won two straight games after suffering five losses in a row, its longest losing streak since 2005, and enters Ivy League play with a 10-12 overall mark. The Big Red has had great success in Ivy League openers over the years, going 13-6 with victories, including 13-3 since 1997. Cornell did drop its Ivy opener a year ago, but is 186-99 all-time in Ivy League play since joining the varsity ranks 20 years ago.

The Big Red is hitting .317 as a team with eight regulars hitting .300 or better. Senior Erin Belles leads the way at .409 with three home runs and eight RBI, while freshman Meg Parker is batting .373 with three home runs and a team-high 17 RBI. Freshman Michiko McGivney (.353, nine RBI) paces the team with four home runs, while Christina Villalon (.373, two HR, 12 RBI), Lauren Bucolo (.361), Emily Weinberg (.333), Kristen Towne (.340) and Linda Laeufer (.306) are all well above .300 through the team's first 22 contests.

In the circle, junior Alyson Onyon is 7-5 with a save and a 2.81 ERA in 13 starts. Onyon has nine complete games, including a shutout, and is allowing opponents to hit just .237. The Big Red hurler has struck out 64 in 82.1 innings of work. Sammy Roth (2-3, 5.55 ERA) and Meg Parker (1-4, 6.37 ERA) have also seen significant time pitching for Cornell. The Big Red has struggled defensively after a hot start, committing 19 errors in its last nine games to lower its fielding percentage from .970 to .952.

The Big Red is coming off its fourth straight Ivy League South Division title, sharing the crown with Penn, en route to a 25-23 season. It was the 16th consecutive year the Big Red won at least 25 games, and its 15-5 conference mark was the fourth time in six years the program has finished at .750 or better in Ivy play. Head coach Dick Blood is the all-time winningest coach in Cornell athletics history for a single sport and enters the week with 577 triumphs (577-278-2) and five conference crowns.

Yale enters a Wednesday home doubleheader against Fairfield with a 3-13 overall record. First-year head coach Jen Goodwin's offense features hot-hitting freshmen Sarah Onorato (.408, 5 home runs, eight RBI) and Lauren Delgadillo (.378, three home runs, eight RBI), though the Bulldogs are hitting just .256 as a team. Senior second baseman Jennifer Ong, a first-team All-Ivy and all-region selection in 2012, is hitting .255. Four different pitchers have seen time in the circle, with Chelsey Dunham (1-7, 5.95 ERA) and Rhydian Glass (1-4, 6.75 ERA) leading the way. The Bulldogs are fielding at a .934 clip through the team's first 16 contests.

Brown is 6-8 prior to Saturday's doubleheader at Princeton and has gone 5-2 in its last seven games. First-year head coach Katie Flynn inherited senior All-American Stephanie Thompson (.424, home run) and Trista Chavez (.314, home run, 10 RBI) and an offense that is hitting .226 heading into the week. Pitcher Sarah Ropiak is 304 with a 2.96 ERA and Jessica Cherness is 3-4 with a 5.81 ERA to help keep Brown in games. The Bears have a solid .969 fielding percentage and have committed just 12 errors in 14 games.