PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Cornell softball team defeated the Pennsylvania Quakers 8-7 on Sunday afternoon at Penn Park to secure it's second Ivy League series victory of the season. The Big Red improved to 11-12, while Penn dropped to 12-14.
Tarisa Frans led the way for Cornell offensively, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs scored and three stolen bases, consistently setting the tone at the top of the lineup and creating pressure on the bases. She was complemented by strong contributions from
Olivia Green (2-for-2, two runs, two RBIs) and
Addison Pressley (three hits), as Cornell totaled 13 hits on the day.
Cornell's pitching staff showed resilience after a tough middle inning, combining to limit Penn to just one run over the final three frames.
Emma Harshberger earned the win with 3.1 scoreless innings of relief, allowing just two hits while stabilizing the game late.
Mila Fiordalisi and
Laney Freiband handled the early innings, combining for 3.2 innings before Harshberger closed it out to secure the comeback victory.
Game Recap
The Quakers struck first in the opening inning when Ganje homered to give Penn a 1-0 lead. Cornell answered in the third inning, tying the game at 1-1 when
Charlize Cai reached on a Penn error that allowed Frans to score.
Penn broke the game open in the fourth inning with a six-run frame to take control. Johnson singled to bring home a run and give the Quakers a 2-1 lead before Ganje delivered a three-run home run to extend the margin to 5-1. Penn continued to add on with an RBI single from Utschig to make it 6-1 and a groundout from Graveline that pushed the lead to 7-1.
Cornell began to chip away at the deficit in the fifth inning. Green homered to drive in two runs and cut the margin to 7-3. The Big Red stayed within striking distance before mounting a decisive rally in the seventh inning.
Avery Wolfe singled to right center to score two runs and trim the deficit to 7-5 before
Emma Harshberger reached on an error that allowed another run to score, making it 7-6. Cai delivered the go-ahead play, reaching on an error in right field that brought home two runs to give Cornell an 8-7 lead. Cornell held on in the bottom of the inning to secure it's second come-from-behind victory of the weekend.
Next Up
The Cornell softball team will return to the diamond tomorrow for a non-conference contest against Drexel. The Big Red and the Dragons are scheduled for a 3:00 p.m. start at Drexel Softball Field. Game action will be broadcast on FloSports.