Softball News Releases
Rams sweep past Grinnell, drop doubleheader at Central
Coming up – Wednesday, April 16, Simpson, Davis Park, Mount Vernon, 4 p.m.; Thursday, April 17, Knox, Davis Park, Mount Vernon, 4 p.m.; Saturday, April 19, Loras, Davis Park, Mount Vernon, 2 p.m.; Sunday, Beloit, Davis Park, Mount Vernon, 1 p.m.; Tuesday, April 22, Coe, Davis Park, Mount Vernon, 4 p.m.
Ram review – Cornell recorded its fifth doubleheader sweep of the season with convincing nonconference wins over Grinnell, 5-0 and 8-2, April 9 in Grinnell. The Rams closed out the week with a pair of losses at perennial Iowa Conference power Central, 6-0 and 7-1, April 13 in Pella.
Sophomore Ashton Horn (Davenport/West) pitched all 25 innings on the mound, sporting a 2.52 earned run average. First baseman Kim Cox (Calhan, Colo./Ellicott) batted .455 for the week with a pair of RBIs. Nicole Duncan (Wilton/Wilton) went 6-for-14 (.429) with two doubles.
The Rams (14-10 overall) moved into fifth place in the conference race with a 4-4 mark. Cornell’s 14 wins are tied for the most in a season since the Rams joined the IIAC in 1998. The Rams also won 14 games in 2000, 2002 and 2003.
Cornell 0-1, Central 6-7 (April 13, at Pella)
The Rams were shut out for the first time this season and mustered only one run in the doubleheader against the Dutch.
Cornell was held to three hits in the opener, including Duncan’s seventh double of the season in the sixth inning. The Rams left five runners on base, four in scoring position. The Dutch scored three runs in the third to take control of the game. Horn surrendered nine hits and four earned runs and struck out three.
In Game 2, senior Lisa Anderson (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin) had a pair of doubles and drove in Simone Wright (Zion, Ill./Waukegan) with Cornell’s lone run in the second. Sara Blaser (Davenport/North) also tallied two hits for the Rams. Horn allowed just five hits, but the Rams committed three errors which led to five unearned runs.
Cornell 5-8, Grinnell 0-2 (April 9, at Grinnell)
The Rams collected 22 hits and Horn surrendered only one earned run in a road sweep of the Pioneers.
Horn hurled her third consecutive shutout in Game 1, allowing five hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. Duncan led the offense, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Wright and Cox each had a pair of hits.
Duncan and Jessica Mauser (Westminster, Colo./Standley Lake) each had RBI singles in Cornell’s three-run third inning. Anderson drove in another run in the sixth and Wright had a run-scoring double in the seventh.
In Game 2, Cornell used a five-run fifth inning to pull away from the Pioneers. Mauser and Wright ignited the rally with back-to-back RBI doubles. Anderson, Cox and Brittany Raymond (Garwin/GMG) also drove in runs during the frame.
Mauser and Wright each had two hits and scored twice. Cox had two hits and a pair of RBIs. Laurel Wilhelm (Blairstown/Benton) went 2-for-2 with an RBI. Horn allowed six hits and one earned run in the shortened six-inning contest, notching her fourth consecutive pitching win.
Stats and streaks – Horn (14-8, 2.28 ERA) had a streak of 22 consecutive scoreless innings pitched end against Grinnell when the Pioneers plated a single run in the third inning of Game 2. She has thrown four complete-game shutouts and combined for another in 23 starts this season.
Duncan owns a current eight-game hitting streak, tying Wright for the longest by a Ram this season. The freshman center fielder is batting .403 and leads the team with nine multiple-hit games.
Homestand – The Rams enter a 10-game homestand over a seven-day span, starting April 16 against Simpson. Cornell hosts Knox April 17, Loras April 19, Beloit April 20 and Coe April 22. The Rams are 4-0 at home this season, outscoring opponents 22-3 in those games in Mount Vernon.