Softball News Releases
Rams tie school record with 18th win, earn berth in IIAC Tournament
MOUNT VERNON – Cornell’s surging softball team capped off a historic home stand by claiming its school record-tying 18th win Sunday in a rare 4-2, 2-1 sweep of Loras and earning a berth in the Iowa Conference Tournament.
The Rams (18-11 overall, 7-5 IIAC) opened the week April 16 with a memorable 6-5 triumph over perennial power Simpson, rallying for three runs in the bottom of the seventh and scoring the game-winner in the ninth. The comeback snapped an 0-for-20 slide against the Storm in IIAC play since 1998. Cornell dropped the second game of the doubleheader, 5-1.
“The fact that we were able to come back in the bottom of the seventh against Simpson shows where we are at as a team. It was exciting to see that since our team is so young,” said Cornell’s second-year head coach Shanda Ness, whose team has nearly reversed last year’s 11-20 overall mark. “Our focus has been the same all year, to play hard every game. Confidence is the key and has been a huge part to (our success).”
Cornell pulled out its second extra-inning win in as many days April 17, taking a 2-1 decision over Knox in eight innings. The second game of the twin bill was called after three innings due to lightning and heavy rain.
The Rams concluded a 4-1 week with the two wins over Loras, ending an eight-game losing skid against the Duhawks. It was the first time Cornell had ever swept Loras in an IIAC doubleheader. The Game 2 win marked Cornell’s 18th victory, equaling coach Wanda Schwartz’s 1992 squad (18-10) for the most wins in a season.
Cornell will make its first appearance in the six-team IIAC Tournament May 1-3, hosted by the No. 1 seed. The Rams are tied with Coe for fourth place in the league. Wartburg sits atop the standings at 11-1, followed by Simpson at 11-3 and Luther at 9-3.
Cornell 4-2, Loras 2-1 (April 20, at Mount Vernon)
Sophomore Ashton Horn (Davenport/West) racked up her school-record 17th and 18th pitching wins of the season, allowing only one earned run in 14 innings against the Duhawks. She gave up six hits in the opener and fired a four-hitter in the nightcap.
In Game 1, Cornell did all its damage in a four-run fourth inning. The Rams had five hits in the frame, highlighted by an RBI double from Lisa Anderson (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart Griffin) and run-scoring singles from Brittany Raymond (Garwin/GMG) and Maria Kohlhaas (Algona/Garrigan). Anderson had two of the Rams’ seven hits.
In the nightcap, the Rams scored single runs in the first and fifth innings and then held off a late Loras rally to complete the sweep. Sara Blaser (Davenport/North) plated the first run on a groundout. Duncan put the Rams ahead 2-0 on a sacrifice fly. The Duhawks cut the deficit to 2-1 and had the bases loaded with one out in the top of the seventh before Horn worked out of the jam.
Jessica Mauser (Westminster, Colo./Standley Lake) went 3-for-3 in the second game. Simone Wright (Zion, Ill./Waukegan) had two hits.
Cornell 2, Knox 1 (April 17, at Mount Vernon)
Nicole Duncan (Wilton/Wilton) went 3-for-4 and plated Raymond with a game-winning single to center field with one out in the bottom of the eighth. Blaser had a pair of hits, including a solo homer in the fourth which tied the game at 1-1.
Horn gave up four hits and did not allow an earned run in eight innings. She struck out eight and walked three.
Cornell 6-1, Simpson 5-5 (April 16, at Mount Vernon)
Trailing 5-2 and down to their final two outs in the bottom of the seventh in Game 1, the Rams rallied for a nine-inning victory, their first ever win over Simpson in IIAC play.
Kohlhaas led off the ninth with a single. The next batter, Duncan hit a single to right field which was followed by a throwing error that allowed Kohlhaas to come home with the winning run.
Duncan, who went 3-for-5 in the game, also delivered the game-tying single in the seventh that forced extra innings. Kohlhaas collected three hits and Anderson went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs. Horn went the distance on the mound, striking out nine and walking just one.
Cornell was held to one run and six hits in the second game. Blaser had two hits, including a double. Pinch runner Sam Wieland (Riverside/Highland) scored the lone run in the fifth on an error.
Coming up – Tuesday, April 22, Coe College, Davis Park, Mount Vernon, 4 p.m.; Saturday, April 26, at Wartburg College, Waverly, 2 p.m.; Sunday, April 27, at Monmouth College, Monmouth, Ill., 1 p.m.
The Rams close conference play this week against two nationally-ranked foes – No. 23 Coe at home Tuesday, April 22 and No. 6 Wartburg on the road Saturday, April 26. The two doubleheaders will be key for seeding purposes in the IIAC Tournament.
“We finish the season against two very good teams,” Ness said. “I think we can challenge both teams. Those games will help prepare us for the conference tournament.”
Home sweet home – The Rams improved to 8-1 in home games in Mount Vernon this season. Cornell is 6-1 at Davis Park and 2-0 at Mount Vernon High School. The Rams are 7-6 on the road and 3-4 at neutral sites.
Who’s hot? – Duncan owns a current 13-game hitting streak, the longest by a Ram since the 2004 season when Alex Myers hit safely in 18 consecutive games. The freshman center fielder finished the week 9-for-18 (.500) at the plate with two doubles, a triple, three RBIs and a .722 slugging percentage in five games.