ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell softball team dropped a pair of Tuesday afternoon Ivy League contests to Harvard at Niemand*Robison Field, falling 8-3 in the opener and 4-2 in the nightcap. The Big Red fell to 15-21 (5-12 Ivy), while the Crimson upped its record to 21-17 (15-5 Ivy).

Game One
Harvard used a six-run fifth to jump out to an 8-0 lead, avoided a Big Red rally and closed the door for its 14th Ivy win of the season. 

Celia Macari had two hits, Maicie Levitt had a hit and reached with a walk and Allison Kerce, Hanna Crist and Marisa Zorrilla each drove in runs for the Big Red. 

Lauren Bobowsky was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and two runs scored and Anna Reed picked up her 13th victory of the season in the circle, pitching 6.0 innings of seven-hit ball and allowing just one earned run.

The Crimson took advantage of a Harvard error to score two runs in the third to stake itself to a lead. The highlight came on a deep drive to center that Hanna Crist tracked down, but Lauren Bobowski, who leads the Ivy League in stolen bases (17), scored all the way from second for the second run of the game.

The Crimson's six-run fifth came on seven hits and looked as though it might end the game early, but Hanna Crist's RBI double scored Allison Kerce from first to get back within 8-1 after five.

Cornell scored two in the sixth and loaded the bases with one out, but the Crimson was able to escape without any further damage.

Game Two
The Crimson jumped in front, the Big Red caught them and Harvard had the last word as Katie Arrambide shut down the home team over the final five innings.

Arrambide allowed just one hit over the final 5.0 innings to pick up her sixth win of the campaign, allowing the visitors to score two runs in the fourth and hang on without being threatened late.

Allison Kerce had a pair of hits for the Big Red and scored a run, while Hanna Crist had a hit and walked. Gabirelle Maday went the distance in the circle for the Big Red, allowing seven hits and four runs in taking the hard-luck loss.

Harvard scored single runs in the first and second to go up 2-0, but Cornell answered with a pair of runs in the third after beginning the inning with four consecutive hits, including run-scoring singles by Hanna Crist and Olivia Rooney.

A two-out single by Marissa Zheng in the fourth broke the deadlock and put the Crimson back out in front 4-2 and Arrambide made sure they would stay there. 
 
The two teams meet for a third time on Wednesday, May 4 at 1:30 p.m. at Niemand*Robison Field.