MOUNT VERNON – Cornell charges into next week's
Midwest Conference Softball Tournament fresh off a resounding 9-0 five-inning rout of second-place Ripon from Sunday's regular-season finale at Van Metre Family Softball Field.
A dramatic opening game saw Ripon – the home team on the scoreboard – prevail 7-6 on a walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Coach
Robin Brand's Rams (23-16 overall) finished fourth in the league race at 10-6. They will face No. 1 seed and host Illinois College (30-10 overall, 15-1 MWC) in the first round of the MWC Tournament at 12 p.m. Friday in Jacksonville, Ill.
Junior first baseman
Elise Oleson gave the Rams quite a power boost Sunday, jacking three home runs with five RBIs in the doubleheader. In Game 2, she slugged a two-run homer in the third and belted another two-run shot in the fourth that put the Rams firmly in control, leading 8-0.
Starting pitcher
Lexi Ellermeier (10-7) limited the Red Hawks (25-11 overall, 12-4 MWC) to just two singles while striking out five and walking none. She faced two batters over the minimum for five innings.
Lauren Summers,
Monet Roelle and Oleson had two hits apiece in the nightcap.
Alexa Corona drove in two runs.
Cornell delivered the first blow in the Game 1 slugfest that featured 25 hits between the teams. The Rams went ahead 4-0 in the fourth inning with help from a three-run homer by junior
Brianna Risley.
After Ripon forged ahead 6-5, Oleson tied it up in the top of the seventh with a solo homer to left that ultimately forced extra innings.
The Red Hawks won on a solo homer by No. 8 hitter Maddie Heisler to lead off the ninth.
Corona went 3-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs.
Brooke Furman, Oleson and Summers had two hits apiece. The Rams outhit Ripon, 14-11.
