NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The Cornell softball team earned its first Ivy League doubleheader sweep since 2015 thanks to strong pitching and an opportunistic offense in taking a pair of games from Columbia on Saturday afternoon. Cornell won game one 7-3 in nine innings before a 5-3 triumph in game two. The Big Red improved to 9-18 (3-7 Ivy), while the Lions fell to 14-20 (5-5 Ivy).

Game One
Freshman Lisa Nelson scattered eight hits over nine innings of work and Cornell broke through in the ninth for five runs to top the Lions. 

The Big Red used took advantage of a pair of Columbia errors, two walks and three hits to plate five in the ninth. The big blow came on a bases loaded single by Sarah Murray that drove in two runs, including the game-winner. She finished the day 3-for-5 with a pair of RBI and a run scored.

Megan Murray, Rebecca Kubena and Ivey Wagner each had a pair of hits and Nelson made the offense stand up. The Lions scratched together single runs in the second, third and ninth innings, but Nelson retired the final batter of the game with the bases loaded to hold onto the win.

Madison Canby allowed 11 hits and four earned runs in nine innings to take the hard-luck loss for the Lions. 

Game Two
A four-run second inning set the course and junior hurler Maddie Orcutt made it stand up in a 5-3 victory. Olivia Lam was 3-for-3 at the plate with a home run and two RBI, while Madeline Avery also had a pair of hits and Rebecca Kubena drove in two.

Orcutt allowed six hits and three earned runs in 5.2 innings before Katie Lew shut the door in the sixth and seventh to pick up her first save. She faced the minimum in the final 1.1 innings. The defense behind them was against exceptional, as the Big Red didn't commit an error on the day in 64 total fielding chances.

Maddie Gott was 3-for-4 with her 20th career home run for the Lions, extending her own school record.