JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Cornell gave No. 1 seed Illinois College all it wanted in Friday's opening game of the Midwest Conference Softball Tournament at Kamp Softball Field.  
 
The fourth-seeded Rams dropped a 2-1 pitcher's duel to the Lady Blues, who squeaked by on a tie-breaking solo homer in the fifth inning. Cornell then ran out of steam in an elimination game against Lake Forest, falling 11-2 in six innings.    
 
Cornell, making its first postseason appearance since 2018, closed the campaign at 14-22 under sixth-year head coach Jackie Sernek.
 
Senior left-hander Alyssa Pearson gave the upset-minded Rams a chance against Illinois College (24-14-1), limiting the home team to six hits in a complete-game effort.
 
Pearson gave up a two-out RBI single in the second, although Cornell battled back to even the score at 1-1 with a two-out rally in the fifth. Erin Puck doubled and came around to score on a double to right field by Monet Roelle.
 
Illinois College answered quickly with a pinch-hit solo homer to center field to lead off the bottom of the fifth, proving to be the difference in the game.
 
The Rams tallied eight hits against Illinois College ace Julia Drake, who entered among the national leaders with a 0.67 ERA. Puck and Peyton Souhrada had two hits apiece.
 
Cornell left eight runners on base, including a missed opportunity in the fourth when the Rams had a runner thrown out at home with one out.
 
Puck closed an outstanding career against Lake Forest (26-13-1), going 3-for-3 with a run from the leadoff position. It was the 16th multi-hit game of the season for Puck, whose 114 career hits rank No. 13 on Cornell's all-time list.
 
The Rams collected eight hits against the Foresters. Miranda Keith delivered an RBI single and Claire Gugerty a sacrifice fly that brought Cornell within 6-2 in the bottom of the third.
 
Lake Forest pulled away with three runs in the fourth and ended it with two more in the sixth.
 
Pearson (6-13) drew the start in the circle for her 64th career pitching appearance. She allowed six runs over 2.2 innings before Hannah Rhoades came on to finish.