After a six-game stretch in which women’s softball was potent offensively, the Rams found themselves with crucial upcoming conference games. Three conference opponents were heading to Mount Vernon to test the Rams, and it was a tough round for Cornell as they only took one out of six games. The Rams’ one win, however, was enough to keep them in the conference tournament race, a race that will be heating up in the coming weeks.

First up was the 13th-ranked Norse of Luther, who came to Cornell motivated to stop the Rams’ recent offensive success. In the first game, they accomplished just that, holding the Rams scoreless until the fourth inning. Finally, in the fifth inning, first year Kim Griseto launched a two-run homer to put the Rams on the scoreboard. The Norse added an insurance run, however, in the seventh off of third year Ashton Horn and took the game 5-2. The Rams knocked out six hits but committed four errors, which led to two unearned runs for Luther.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Luther again grabbed the early lead, scoring three in the top of the first. The Rams seemed undeterred, however, as they came back with three of their own in the bottom frame. First year Sophie Gaynor knocked in two with a double and the Norse walked in a run. The Rams squandered an opportunity to take the lead, however, and Luther went back ahead in the third before breaking the game wide open with a seven-run seventh inning. Cornell again struggled in the field, committing five errors for a total of nine in the doubleheader. The struggles cost the Rams runs, and Luther was simply too good to not take advantage of them.

After the disappointing double dip against the Norse, Cornell headed back to the diamond against the Dubuque Spartans. In the first game of a doubleheader, the Rams found their potent offense again, blasting 10 hits and an efficient nine runs to back up Horn. Furthermore, a staggering seven of the 10 hits were for extra bases, including a home run from second year Simone Wright. Horn struck out five and gave up only six hits in a solid complete game victory. The win put the Rams in the top six seeds in the conference, which would send them to the tournament.

Looking to get a better foothold in the conference, Cornell suffered a setback in game two. Though the offense was excellent, the defense again let the Rams down as they committed four errors and allowed Dubuque to escape with a split, 10-9. Offensively, fourth year Sara Blaser knocked out two home runs, her first two of the season. Second year Nicole Duncan had another double, her 15th of the season, which is a school record. Griseto started on the mound but was unable to get the win with the errors in the field.

After a split with Dubuque, Cornell stayed at home to face Wartburg, the 17th-ranked team in the country. The first game was close through six innings with Wartburg winning only 3-0. The Knights exploded against Horn in the sixth inning, scoring six runs and pulling away for the victory. Cornell scored once in the seventh when fourth year Kim Cox singled home Duncan.

After the bruising 9-1 loss in game one, Cornell played much better in game two, taking a 1-0 lead through three innings. Wartburg scored once in the fourth, fifth and seventh, however, and took the game 3-1. Cornell managed only three hits, scoring when Duncan was knocked home by first year Chrissy Rasor on a ground ball. First year Jill Trzaska pitched a gem but was unable to get the run support needed to get the win.

After a tough stretch, the Rams will have to bounce back to make the conference tournament. The four remaining conference games will determine if they do indeed make it and what seed they get. With precious few games left for the Rams to achieve their ultimate goal, they need every win they can get.