ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell softball team will attempt to salvage a win in its three-game series with Dartmouth when the two teams meet on Tuesday, April 17 at 12:30 p.m. at Dartmouth Softball Field. The game is a makeup of Sunday's postponed contest and forced the cancellation of the Big Red's scheduled non-league game at Siena.

In a battle for second place in the Ancient Eight standings, the Big Green swept a Saturday doubleheader by scores of 8-4 and 7-2, bringing out the big bats after entering the weekend hitting just .225 as a team. Dartmouth slammed four consecutive home runs in the opener and jumped out to 7-0 leads in both contests before the visitors were able to mount a bit of a comeback.

Lisa Nelson has been among the Ancient Eight leaders in ERA (3.39) and strikeouts (66) while posting a 6-5 record to lead the pitching staff. Classmate Katie Lew (5-8, 4.64 ERA) has also had a strong season in the circle. The duo has pitched 152.1 of the team's 184.1 innings in the circle.

Sophomore Erin Rockstroh ranks among the Ancient Eight leaders in batting average, hitting .429 with 14 RBI as one of four regulars hitting .300 or better. Senior Megan Murray is batting .389 with nine doubles and a .431 on-base percentage, while Rebecca Kubena (.375), Kate Jencarelli (.321) are also better than .300. Tori Togashi (.297, three home runs, 14 RBI) and  Bridgette Rooney (.278, six home runs, 18 RBI) have also been key contributors at the plate.

At 14-14 overall and 8-3 in Ivy League play, Dartmouth stands alone in second place in the conference standings. Dartmouth is 8-2 in its last 10 contests, with 2-1 series wins over Penn, Columbia and Princeton over its last three weekends. The Big Green's pitching has been a staple all year long, with Breanna Etheridge (4-6, 2.87 ERA, 69 strikeouts in 78.0 innings), Shelby Wilkinson (5-6, 3.19 ERA, 51 strikeouts in 59.1 innings) and Heather Turner (6-2, 4.59 ERA) all contributing significantly in the circle to the team easily leading the conference in team ERA (3.38). Batting .239 as a group, Micah Schroder is one of three regulars hitting better than .300 (.352), with Morgan Martinello not far below (.314) and Jade Bravo (.304) also above .300. Taylor Ward has a team-high six home runs.

The Big Red leads the all-time series 38-19, including 13-11 in Hanover, N.H. The Big Green has dominated the series recently, including winning 10 straight overall.