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Cornell University Athletics

The Cornell Softball team competes against Brown at Niemand-Robison Softball Field in Ithaca, New York on April 15, 2024.
Savannah Downey/ Cornell Athleti

Softball Looking To Add To Winning Streak At Dartmouth

4/18/2024 5:00:00 PM

ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell softball team (6-21, 3-9 Ivy) hits the road looking to add to its winning streak in a three-game series against Dartmouth (9-15, 5-7) this weekend. The teams have a doubleheader on Saturday, April 20, starting at 12:30 p.m. The series finale begins at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. ESPN+ will stream all three games live from the Dartmouth Softball Park. 

Cornell Looking To Stack Wins As Season Winds Down

  • Cornell enters its weekend series against Dartmouth on a two-game win streak after beating Brown 2-0 on Monday and Ithaca College 9-3 on Tuesday at Niemand-Robison Field. 

  • The Big Red lost the first two games of its series against Brown before freshman pitcher Laney Freiband and a strong defensive performance put an end to the Big Red's seven-game losing streak. 

  • Freiband, who pitched 6.1 innings, allowed just four hits and earned her first career win. Sophomore Kyrie Denny entered the game with one out in the seventh and earned the save, preserving Cornell's first shutout win since it beat Dartmouth 3-0 last May. It was Denny's first career save. 

  • The Big Red turned in arguably its best defensive game of the season, turning two double plays. Senior Lilly Travieso accounted for one of those on her own to keep Cornell in front 2-0, diving to catch a sharp line drive and landing on third base with one out and runners on second and third. 

  • Freshman Hailey Pirkey hit her second home run in three days in the Big Red's 9-3 victory over crosstown foe Ithaca on Tuesday. 

  • Freshman Maddie Ullensvang and Ella Harrod had two hits in the contest. Harrod, Pirkey and Sam Albert each drove in two runs.

  • Junior pitcher Maxine McCraw got credit for the win, her first of the season and fifth of her career. Denny pitched 3.1 innings in relief and struck out three Ithaca batters.

Harrod Having An Impressive Sophomore Season 

  • Harrod is batting .483 over Cornell's last nine games (15-for-31). She's driven in five runs in that span. 

  • Harrod, who's played in 26 of Cornell's 27 games, has struck out just once in 82 at-bats this season (against Siena on Feb. 24). She has gone 23 straight games (and 72 at-bats) without one. 

  • Only three other players in the country — Emily Bracamonte (Toledo, 95 at-bats), Aglaia Rudd (Purdue Fort Wayne, 90 at-bats) and Mari Barbato (Toledo, 82 at-bats) — have one strikeout this season. 

  • Harrod has struck out just five times going back to Cornell's loss to Princeton on April 16 last season. She went the last six games of last season without a strikeout. 

  • Harrod is one of three Ivy League players who hasn't struck out in a conference game this season (min. 20 at-bats). The others are Sophia Marsalo (Princeton, 32 Ivy at-bats) and Caitlin Bish (Princeton, 24 Ivy at-bats). Harrod has 38 Ivy at-bats. 

  • Harrod leads Cornell in batting average (.341) and hits (28) and is second in doubles (7). She has driven in 12 runs, the third-most on the team. 

  • Harrod has six successful sacrifice bunts this season, the most in the Ivy League. 

  • She is tied with Kate Callaway for the team lead in stolen bases (5). 

  • Harrod's batting average this season is 132 points higher this season (.341) than last season (.209).

  • Harrod hit her first career home run at Penn on March 22. 

  • The Big Red shortstop has 71 defensive assists, the most on the team. She has helped turn seven double plays. 

Holt Already Climbing The Cornell Record Book

  • Not even two full seasons into her Cornell career, sophomore power hitter Lauren Holt is climbing the program's record book. 

  • Holt, after homering twice against Yale two weekends ago, moved into a tie for 14th in Cornell history in career home runs (17). Erin Belles hit 17 home runs from 2010-13. 

  • With four more home runs this season, Holt would move into ninth place in program history. Lauren May (2002-05) holds the program record with 58 home runs; Kate Varde (2001-04) and Elise Menaker (2007-10) hit 37 in their careers, good for second place. Jessy Berkey (31 from 2006-09) and Jenny Edwards (26 from 2011-14) are third and fourth on the list, respectively. 

  • Holt, who's driven in 62 runs in her career, needs 19 more RBI to enter the top 20 in Cornell history in that category. May holds the Big Red record with 190 RBI.

More Impressive Numbers On Holt:

  • Holt leads the Ivy League in RBI (35) and is tied for the lead in home runs (8). Cami Neal (Columbia) and Savanna Messner (Columbia) also have eight homers. 

  • Holt has driven in multiple runs in 10 games this season. 

  • Holt's six RBI against Middle Tennessee are the most by an Ivy League player in a game this season. 

  • Holt won Ivy League Player of the Week for the first time in her collegiate career after driving in runs in bunches at the Spring Games in Madeira Beach, Florida. Over five games, she had two doubles, three homers, nine total hits in 17 at-bats and 14 of Cornell's 32 RBI.

  • The 2023 second-team All-Ivy performer led the Ivy League with nine homers and finished tied for third in RBI (28) as a freshman last season. 

  • Only six other players in Cornell history have led the Big Red in RBI and homers as freshmen. That list includes Stephanie Riggins (4 HR, 17 RBI in 1995), Allison Batten (8 HR, 44 RBI in 1998), Lauren May (16 HR, 52 RBI in 2002), Meg Risica (8 HR, 30 RBI in 2006), Alyson Inhitar (11 HR and 41 RBI in 2007) and Bridgette Rooney (10 HR, 30 RBI in 2017). 

Other Team and Individual Notes 

  • Cornell is looking to win three straight games for the first time this season with a win over Dartmouth on Saturday. 

  • Cornell is looking to win its first series of the season. 

  • Junior Emma Antich continues to produce consistently for the Big Red. She went 3 for 11 in Cornell's games against Brown and Ithaca, driving in five runs. On Monday, she hit a three-run home run in Cornell's 4-3 loss to Brown. 

  • Antich is second on the team in home runs (5) and RBI (18). She's tied with Callaway in walks (15). 

Series History vs. Dartmouth

  • The Big Red is 42-25 all-time against the Big Green. 

  • Cornell took two of three from Dartmouth in Ithaca last season. 

  • Cornell is 14-14 on the road in the series.

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