MONMOUTH, Ill. – Cornell was the home team on the scoreboard Saturday, and that meant two more walk-off wins for the Rams in a Midwest Conference South Division softball battle at Monmouth.

Claire Gugerty (SO/Morris, Ill.)'s sacrifice fly capped a four-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning and sent the Rams off a 7-6 winner in Game 1. Cornell needed 10 innings in Game 2 to complete the hard-earned sweep. Freshman Chardaye Beltran (FR/Simi Valley, Calif.) came home on a wild pitch to end it.   

The Rams (7-1 overall, 2-0 MWC) are now 4-0 this season against the Fighting Scots (2-12, 1-3). Three of the wins have come in walk-off fashion, by identical 7-6 scores.

Cornell charged back from a 6-0 deficit in Game 1. The Rams cut the margin in half on a three-run double by Mady Rainey (FR/Huntley, Ill.) in the fifth.

The Rams scratched for four more runs in their final at-bat with help from four hits and two Monmouth errors. Darice Wheeler (SR/Evanston, Ill.)'s misplayed single tied it at 6-6 and Gugerty's fly out to center field plated Julissa Rivera (FR/Houston, Texas) with the winning run.

Rivera and Wheeler led Cornell's attack with two hits apiece. Erin Puck (SO/Davenport, Iowa) scored twice.

Winning pitcher Alyssa Pearson (SO/McHenry, Ill.) threw 3.2 innings, starting the game and then recording the final out in the top of the seventh. Jessica Self (SO/Moravia, Iowa) allowed six hits and one earned run over 3.1 innings in relief.

Pearson also earned the Game 2 victory, yielding just two hits and striking out five in 4.2 scoreless innings of relief.

Gugerty and Wheeler had three hits apiece in the nightcap. Mary Puffett (FR/Independence, Iowa) and Beltran also recorded multi-hit games, with Beltran scoring twice.

Beltran singled to lead off the 10th, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Puck and moved to third on a sacrifice by Marissa Faletti (JR/Oak Forest, Ill.). Beltran raced home with the game-winner on the wild pitch.

Coming up – Cornell heads to Galesburg, Ill., Sunday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Knox (1-11, 0-2 MWC).