In its Ivy League opener, the Yale softball team split a pair of games against Cornell, recording a blowout victory in game one of the doubleheader before losing big in the second game of the twin bill.

The Bulldogs (4–8, 1–1 Ivy) took the first half of the doubleheader with ease, finishing the contest with an 11–4 victory after scoring eight runs in the sixth inning to break open a 2–0 game. However, Cornell (5–10, 2–2) came back in the second contest, evening the series with an 11–3 defeat of the Elis.

“Overall we had a good showing,” right fielder Camille Weisenbach ’17 said. “We won the first game as a team and lost the second one the same way — as a team. We had high energy, and we can learn from the places we slipped to come out stronger the next game.”

The opener got off to something of a slow start. Outfielder Sydney Glover ’17 started off the game by drawing an eight-pitch walk, and she eventually scored on a single from Weisenbach in the first inning.

After that, however, the game did not start to pick up until the sixth inning, which began with a score of 2–0 in favor of Yale and finished 10–3 with the Bulldogs leading the way. The Elis made it through their batting order, with seven different players crossing home plate, including Weisenbach twice.

The sophomore right fielder from Bothell, Washington had a standout performance, earning three runs and four runs batted in. Pitcher Francesca Casalino ’18 struck out seven batters in a complete game performance to seal the Yale victory.

“It was a great way for us to start Ivy League play,” Casalino said. “We were able to score early and hold Cornell to base runners. We then did a great job adding on to our lead to really take the game away.”

The Big Red also scored a pair of runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth, but could not come close to catching the Elis in the final two innings. The game ended 11–4 with a clear Bulldog victory.

Despite the big Yale win in the first matchup, the second game took a much different direction. Cornell opened the game with a series of hits that led to four runs in the first two innings and a lead that Yale would never overcome.

“[In] game two, we dug ourselves in a bit of a hole and seemed a bit more tentative in the box,” said captain Sarah Onorato ’15, a sports columnist for the News. “Cornell hit the ball well and made their adjustments and we were never able to get the momentum we did in game one.”

Cornell continued to score consistently throughout the game, earning runs in every inning except for the third, and limited Yale to a single run in the first five innings.

Although the Bulldogs scored two more runs in the sixth after loading the bases with no outs, the Big Red answered with three runs of its own, ending the game in the bottom of the inning on a walk-off single to invoke the eight-run rule and win 11–3.

“We had a lot of fire in the first game,” pitcher Rhydian Glass ’16 said. “We realized today how important it is to carry that energy into the second game. The big thing for us is making an immediate impact the second we step onto the field.”

On Wednesday, Yale will travel to face UMass Amherst. The Minutewomen suffered two tough five-inning losses yesterday in a doubleheader against Saint Joseph’s.

In preparation for the game, the Elis will take a look at the mistakes that led to the split against Cornell.

“This week, our team is going to work on some of the things that we learned this weekend,” pitcher Maddie Wuelfing ’18 said. “Since we have had a lot of games canceled, we haven’t really had the chance to play outside a lot, so we will be adjusting to that and working on our cohesion on the field.”

The contest against Massachusetts starts at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.