Softball Loses Ivy NCAA Berth

The Cornell Big Red played flawless softball on Saturday, beating Harvard 5-3 and 3-2 in a doubleheader to decide which school would represent the Ivy League in the NCAA tournament.

Harvard (22-23, 11-3 Ivy) had split a doubleheader with Cornell (34-16, 11-3) earlier in the season, but lost the best-of-three contest to the Ivy League co-champions.

Despite the rough ending, the Crismon's season closed in a fitting way, as senior team leaders Jen Vogt-Lowell, Mairead McKendry, and Chelsea Thoke walked out to center field in Harvard uniforms for the last time.

The three have won three Ivy titles in four years, including a share of the crown with the Big Red this year.

"We were out there being nostalgic a little," said McKendry. "It was so hard to believe that it was our last game and this would be our last time on the field."

Cornell 3, Harvard 2

After winning the first game at Soldiers Field, Cornell was able to ride the momentum into the second contest. The Big Red took advantage early, plating a run in the first inning.

The Crimson failed to capitalize on a good scoring opportunity, stranding freshman third baseman Breanne Cooley at second with no outs.

Cornell quickly got to Crimson starter Kara Brotemarkle.

The freshman had the bad luck of seeing a batted ball skip off of her glove and hit her in the face. She walked off the field under her own power, but Harvard was forced to bring in Thoke, who had pitched two innings of relief in the first game.

Cornell continued to hit Thoke well, manufacturing a run by playing small ball.

Freshman outfielder Erin Sweeney, who reached on the ball that struck Brotemarkle, was sacrificed to second by left fielder Melissa Cannon.

Sweeney moved to third, and came home on first baseman Kristen Hricenak's sacrifice fly.

With a 1-0 lead, Cornell starter Nicole Zitarelli went to work.

The senior hurler was third in the Ivy League with a 1.58 ERA, and had beaten the Crimson earlier in the year in a complete game victory.

Zitarelli was equally effective yesterday, holding Harvard to one earned run and only five hits.

Despite Zitarelli's dominance, the Crimson was able to get a run in the fourth. Cornell had gone ahead 2-0 on a third inning home run by Hricenak, but the Crimson run cut the lead in half. After sophomore first baseman Tiffany Whitton singled and stole second.

Thoke rocketed a ball to shortstop Kate Varde with two outs. Varde fired a low throw to Hricenak, allowing Thoke to head to second and Whitton to score on the error.

Harvard threatened again in the next inning, but again stranded Cooley at second with one out.

Thoke was solid on the mound, but did not dominate Cornell as she had frequently in the past.

In the fourth inning, Cornaell plated its final run off of Thoke. After second baseman Drew Martin singled, a wild pitch and a passed ball moved her to third. Junior catcher Annette Sheppard waited for Thoke to serve up a pitch she liked, and drove it up the middle for an RBI single and a 3-1 lead.

Harvard's defense kept it close, as freshman Rachel Goldberg made two sparkling plays at shortstop to keep the bases clear for two innings.

The Crimson, needing a win to continue its season, made a surge in the sixth, but came up short.

Right fielder Sarah Koppel walked to start the frame. Harvard brought in sophomore tri-captain Grace Bloodwell to run for the slugger, and got an infield hit from freshman second baseman Sara Williamson.

With runners at first and second, Thoke came up with an opportunity to help her own cause. She rocketed a single off of Martin's glove at second, and Bloodwell dove headfirst into home.

Down 3-2, Coach Jenny Allard made an interesting call, instructing sophomore catcher Monica Montijo to lay down a bunt for a hit. Although Montijo was out, the successful sacrifice put Thoke on third and Williamson on second.

The Crimson failed to plate a run, as the inning ended on a ground out.

In the final frame, Harvard went down quietly. A shallow Whitton pop pout ended the Crimson's championship season, and gave Cornell the NCAA berth.

"We were rallying a little and trying to get some runs," said McKendry.

"It was a crushing feeling. We wanted to represent the Ivy League."

Cornell 5, Harvard 3

In the opener, Harvard allowed a 2-1 lead to slip away late in the game, making it necessary for the Crimson to sweep the next two games. Whitton started the game and performed well, striking out eight and allowing two earned runs.

Whitton's clutch performance was negated by the quiet Harvard bats. The Crimson failed to take advantage of several scoring opportunities against Cornell freshman Nicole LePera.

In the second inning, Harvard could not bring Koppel home from third with two outs.

Again in the third, Harvard wasted a tremendous scoring chance.

Although the Crimson got an RBI single from Cooley, it could not plate another run with the bases loaded and only one out.

"It seemed like we were putting a lot of pressure on ourselves to get the big hit," said McKendry. "We weren't playing relaxed."

The Crimson's one-run lead lasted shortly. Varde, the team's offensive leader, put the Big Red on the board with a solo blast to center field.

Whitton settled down and struck out two batters to end the frame.

Harvard tacked on another run in the fourth, again on a Cooley single.

In a strong year with championship results, Cooley has no doubt been one of the brighter spots for the Crimson.

She was fourth in the Ivy League in batting coming into the weekend, and is a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year honors.

Whitton ran into trouble in the sixth, as a Hricenak walk and Christina Trout double to center put runners on second and third with only one out.

Thoke came in to relieve Whitton, and allowed two runs to come in. After senior Allison Batten singled in a run, the Big Red brought in pinch hitter Kelli Larsen.

Larsen had doubled in the game-winning runs against Thoke in an important contest during the 1999 season. On Saturday she reprised her role as Crimson killer, delivering a clutch two-out single to bring Batten in and give Cornell the lead.

The extra run was all Cornell needed.

A Crimson rally in the seventh produced only one more run, despite having runners in scoring position with one out.

Final Thoughts

Harvard's failure to return to the national stage has not led the team to view this season as a disappointment.

"It's tough that it ended, of course," said McKendry. "But it wasn't disappointing. It was just hard to see so much potential stopped so suddenly."

The team will look to its younger players to take more leadership roles next year, as another large group of recruits will join the ranks.

"Their biggest challenge is going to be keeping that good chemistry that we had," said Vogt-Lowell. "There's so much talent on the team, so I think they're in good shape."