Softball News Releases
Rams start season 2-0 with big wins at UNI-Dome Classic
Coming up – Friday, Feb. 29, at LeTourneau Spring Classic, Longview, Texas, vs. Concordia, 4 p.m., vs. UT-Tyler, 8 p.m.; Saturday, March 1, at LeTourneau Spring Classic, Longview, Texas, vs. LeTourneau, 4 p.m., vs. Howard Payne, 6 p.m.
Ram review – An early start to the season turned into a late, yet rewarding opening night for the Cornell softball team at the UNI-Dome Classic Feb. 10 in Cedar Falls. The Rams opened play with an 8-2 win over Iowa Wesleyan and followed with an 11-3 early-morning victory over Mount Mercy that was completed at 1:20 a.m.
"Our team handled the situation well. We had fun," said Cornell head coach Shanda Ness, whose team arrived back in Mount Vernon around 3:30 a.m. "We wanted to stay focused throughout the two games. That was the big thing. To win two games is a bonus."
The Rams (2-0) provided plenty of offense for sophomore pitcher Ashton Horn (Davenport/West), who allowed only two earned runs over 13 innings in claiming both victories. Horn totaled eight strikeouts and gave up just one walk. Cornell chalked up a total of 23 hits and never trailed in the two games.
"I felt like we were aggressive swinging at strikes," Ness said. "It’s definitely a good start for us."
The Rams raced to an early 6-0 lead against Iowa Wesleyan, highlighted with a four-run second inning. Laurel Wilhelm (Blairstown/Benton) and Nicole Duncan (Wilton/Wilton) paced the Rams with two hits apiece. Wilhelm scored three times and Duncan, Mallory Kowal (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) and Sara Blaser (Davenport/North) each drove in two runs. Horn allowed eight hits and one earned run in the complete-game victory.
Senior Brittany Raymond (Garwin/GMG) went 3-for-4 with two runs scored to pace Cornell’s 13-hit attack against Mount Mercy. Blaser and Wilhelm each had a pair of hits and Duncan collected a pair of RBIs. Horn gave up five hits and one run before Taryn Foster (Brandon, Vt./Otter Valley Union) took over on the mound in the seventh. Cornell again used a four-run second inning to take control and stamped the sweep with five runs in the seventh.
The Rams have 19 days between their next scheduled games at the LeTourneau Spring Classic Feb. 29-March 1 in Longview, Texas.
