ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell softball team will attempt to build momentum heading into the offseason when it closes 2013 with a road doubleheader at Syracuse and a home set against Binghamton. The Big Red will face the Orange on Tuesday, April 30 at 3 p.m., then plays host to the Bearcats on Wednesday, May 1 at 3:30 p.m.

The Big Red has reached the 20-win mark for the 17th consecutive year after taking game on of Sunday's doubleheader against Princeton. Head coach Dick Blood is the all-time winningest coach in Cornell athletics history for a single sport and enters the weekend with 587 triumphs (587-292-2) and five conference crowns. Cornell is 3-3 in its last six games, par for the course in a season that hasn't seen the Big Red win more than three games in a row.

Belles enters her final career games as a career .307 hitter with 17 home runs and 49 RBI in 120 games played, including 83 starts. She ranks in the top 10 at Cornell in career slugging percentage (.529) and on-base percentage (.409) and her on-base percentage this season ranks third on the Big Red charts. Towne is a three-time All-Ivy pick and two-time first-team selection who ranks among the school's all-time leaders in doubles (fourth, 43), fielding percentage (seventh, .987), total bases (eighth, 272), home runs (eighth, 19) and hits (eighth, 164). Towne has posted a .312 average in 174 games played (165 starts).

The Big Red is hitting .294 as a team with six regulars hitting .300 or better. Belles has been on a tear all season, batting.381 with a team-high seven home runs. Christina Villalon is batting .336 with 17 doubles, six home runs and a team-high 33 RBI. Freshman Emily Weinberg is batting .338 in a strong rookie campaign, while returning first-team All-Ivy selection Lauren Bucolo is batting .319. Also hitting better than .300 are freshmen Meg Parker (.314, 12 doubles, five home runs, 26 RBI) and Michiko McGivney (.305, six home runs, 20 RBI). Towne (.282, 12 doubles, 14 RBI) and Linda Laeufer (.273,two home runs, 12 RBI) are a hot stretch away from breaking the .300 mark as well.

In the circle, junior Alyson Onyon is 14-16 with a save and a 3.51 ERA in 27 starts. Onyon has 19 complete games, including three shutouts. The Big Red hurler has struck out 142 in 195.1 innings of work. Sammy Roth (3-4, 6.15 ERA) and Meg Parker (3-6, 5.55 ERA) have also seen significant time pitching for Cornell. The Big Red is fielding at a solid .962 clip.

Tuesday's doubleheader is a makeup of a doubleheader rained out on April 11. Syracuse was leading 3-2 in the first game when the rains came. Syracuse sports a 20-26 record and is hitting .216 as a team without a regular hitting better than .280. The Orange have won games in the circle, as Lindsay Taylor is just 4-12, but sports a respectable 2.56 ERA, while Stacy Kuwik is 14-11 with a 3.48 ERA. Leading the offense is Corinne Ozanne at .280 with eight home runs and 34 RBI and Jasmine Watson at .275 with a team-best 11 home runs. Seventh-year head coach Leigh Ross sports a 111-72 career record in the SU dugout. Syracuse leads the all-time series between the teams 14-8 thanks to six straight wins between the squads. Over that span, the Orange has outscored the Big Red 43-3.

The Bearcats, 15-2 over its last 17 games with a six-game win streak, bring a 26-13 record and a 13-2 mark in America East play. Binghamton is batting .303 as a team with four regulars hitting .319 or better. Jessica Bump leads the way at .366 with nine home runs and 35 RBI, while Lisa Cadogan is batting .346 with eight home runs and 36 RBI. In the circle, Demi Laney is 13-5 with a 2.51 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 134.0 innings. Fourth-year head coach Michelle Burrell has posted a 95-84 record at Binghamton and is 212-134 overall as a head coach. Cornell leads the all-time series between the teams 14-3, though the Bearcats have won two of the last three contests.