ITHACA, N.Y. - The Cornell softball team split a doubleheader with Columbia on Saturday afternoon at Niemand-Robison Field. The Big Red defeated Columbia 10-9 in a back-and-forth affair in game one. The Lions routed Cornell in game two, defeating the Big Red 13-2 in five innings.
Game One
Columbia opened the scoring at the top of the first when Mikami homered to left field, bringing herself and Nguyen across the plate to give the Lions a 2-0 lead.
Lauren Holt responded at the bottom of the first with a two-run shot of her own to tie the contest at 2-2.
The Big Red would follow with five consecutive runs in the fourth inning to extend it's lead. Holt managed an RBI double, followed by an RB groundout from Harshberger, and capped by an RBI single for
Sofia Hernandez.
The Lions bounced back in the fifth with a pair of two-run home runs from Mikami and Marzouca to bring the game within one swing. In the seventh, Mikami blasted another two-ru shot, her third of the game, to give Columbia an 8-7 lead. O'Brien added insurance later in the inning to extend the Columbia advantage to 9-7.
Cornell rallied, plating two runs in the seventh inning from
Olivia Green and
Charlize Cai to send the game to extra innings.
Ella Harrod clinched the victory for Cornell with a ground-rule double to send Hernandez across the plate for the game-winning run.
Game Two
Columbia got out to a lead in the third inning when Mikami singled and O'Brien produced a two-run homer to build a 3-0 lead for Columbia. Messner followed up in the fourth with a home run to extend the count to 4-0.
Hernandez chipped away at the deficit with a two-run home run in the fourth. Columbia took full control of the game in the fifth, scoring nine runs in the fifth inning to secure a 13-2 run-rule victory over the Big Red.
Next Up
The Cornell softball team will return to the diamond on Tuesday, April 21st for a doubleheader against Binghamton. The Big Red and the Bearcats are slated for a 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. start at Niemand-Robison Field. Game action will be broadcast on ESPN+.