ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell softball team returns to action after for the first time in 10 days when it kicks off a five-game week with a home non-conference doubleheader with Ithaca College on Wednesday, April 20 at 3:30 p.m. at Niemand*Robison Field. The Big Red will also hit the road for a three-game series with Yale beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 23 at 12:30 p.m.

Cornell's scheduled series against Harvard last weekend was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns and safety protocols, giving the team its largest gap between games since early March.

The Big Red has been making steady progress despite its 6-13 record (2-4 Ivy), going 7-7 in its last 14 with two of the losses coming as walk-off defeats on the road. Three Cornell batters are over .300 on the season led by Emily McKinney (.324, two home runs, 17 RBI). Olivia Rooney (.323, one home run, 13 RBI) and Travieso (.306, six RBI) aren't far behind. 

In the circle, Burd (5-4, 3.81 ERA, 27 strikeouts) and Gabrielle Maday (1-8, 4.25 ERA) have pitched a majority of the team's innings amd have limited opponents to a sub-.300 batting average. Burd was 2-0 with a 3.10 ERA in four appearances last week, including two complete game starts. She shut down Princeton in a 2-1 win in game three of the Ivy series. She went the distance, scattering five hits and allowed a single run in picking up the victory.

The Bombers are 15-8 overall (6-0 Liberty League) entering a Tuesday doubleheader at SUNY Geneseo and are winners of 10 of its last 11 games. Julia Loffredo is batting .358 with five doubles, three triples, 19 runs scored and 17 driven in to lead an offense hitting .263 as a unit. Emma Kindblom (.324, seven doubles, two home runs, 26 runs scored) is also batting over .300. Anna Cornell is 8-2 with a 2.10 ERA and an 87:9 strikeout to walk ratio in 53.1 innings of work in the circle, while Melody Kappel is 3-0 with three saves and a 0.99 ERA in 28.1 innings. The Bombers are fielding at a .964 clip. Head coach Hannah Quintana, in her third season on the helm of the Bombers, has posted a 42-22 record on South Hill. 

Yale enters the week with an 8-20 overall mark and a 6-9 Ivy record after being swept by Princeton at home last weekend, being outscored 26-5. Sam Goodcase is hitting .397 with five doubles and three home runs to pace the offense, with Maddie Latta batting .300 with six home runs and 11 RBI. No other regular is batting better than .250. Nicole Conway (5-10, two saves, 4.89 ERA in 87.1 innings) and Latta (3-5, 5.19 ERA in 55.1 innings) have thrown a majority of innings for the Bulldogs for a pitching rotation that has posted a 6.09 team ERA. Head coach Jen Goodwin is in her 10th season directing the Bulldogs.