The women’s softball team will face its toughest challenge of the season this weekend when it (6–15, 2–2 Ivy) will host Cornell (17–8, 5–1) this afternoon at Dewitt Family Field. The Bulldogs then host Princeton (6–22, 0–4) Saturday.
The Elis are coming off two losses in a home doubleheader against Providence on Wednesday. The Friars seized early leads in both games, a problem that has plagued Yale this season — the Bulldogs have been outscored 46–14 through the first three innings of games.
The defending Ivy League Champion Big Red enter the weekend having won six of their last seven games. The team has scored 132 runs this season and boasts the reigning Ivy League Player of the Year, Alyson Ithar, who is batting .438 this season (29th in Division I). The Big Red are led by reigning Ivy League Pitcher of the Year Elizabeth Dalrymple, who is 8–2 with a 2.68 ERA this season.
Last season, the Yale dropped a doubleheader against Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y.
The Tigers enter the weekend struggling through the Ivy season. However, the team leads the conference in home runs with 21 nonetheless and can right the ship against Brown on Friday before traveling to New Haven. Yale and Princeton split a doubleheader last season in New Jersey.
The Bulldogs have been led this season by centerfielder and captain Ashley Sloan ’10. Sloan leads the team in batting average (.338), and is on a six-game hitting streak. She is 17 hits shy of setting a new Yale record.
Catcher McKynlee Westman ’11 is on a five-game hitting streak and has batted .500 during that stretch. She leads the team in doubles with four.
The Eli pitching staff has been anchored this season by pitcher Kayla Kuretich ’10. Kuretich has pitched a team-high 56.2 innings this season, in which she has had a 2.72 ERA, a .213 opposing batting average, and 53 strikeouts.
“We bring a different attitude to Ivy League games,” head coach Barbara Reinalda said. “We should do much better this weekend.”
Today’s doubleheader against begins at 2 p.m., and tomorrow’s doubleheader against Princeton begins at 12:30 p.m. All games will be played at Dewitt Family Field.