Despite strong efforts both in the field and at the plate, especially from the freshman class, the Binghamton University softball team lost both games of a doubleheader on Wednesday to a highly rated, senior-laden Cornell Big Red team.

The first game of the doubleheader started out like clockwork for the Bearcats (6-35, 1-17 America East).

Junior Jessica Whitaker sat the potent Cornell (40-10, 16-4 Ivy) offense down in order in the first inning. Whitaker received defensive help in the second inning from junior Sandy Meadows, who threw out Cornell senior Ashley Wolf at the plate from deep center field.

An interesting call gave Binghamton the lead in the bottom of the second inning.

After Kelly Schuldt ripped a double and freshman Shawna Albright reached base after getting hit by a Cornell senior Jenn Meunier pitch, junior Michelle Olivieri was not awarded first base after being hit by a Meunier changeup. The umpire claimed that Olivieri did not attempt to get out of the way of the pitch. Olivieri had her revenge later while at bat though, putting Binghamton up 1-0 on a sacrifice. The Bearcats tacked on another run to go up 2-0 after a Meadows single drove in Albright. Unfortunately for the Bearcats, the Cornell offense featured 13 players hitting over .300.

“It was the most potent offense we have seen all year, top to bottom,” said BU head coach Ali Brian.

Cornell tied the game up at 2 with a double from sophomore Elise Menaker. The Big Red took a 3-2 lead later in the inning off an RBI single from senior Jenna Campagnolo. Cornell added two more insurance runs in the fifth with another two-run single from Menaker.

Despite giving up the lead, Binghamton remained undeterred.

Binghamton loaded the bases in both the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings, but failed to capitalize. The Bearcats scored only one run off a pinch hit single in the bottom of the sixth from freshman Kim Cleveland.

Junior Meg Risica led off the seventh inning with a solo homerun for Cornell to push the lead to 7-3. The Bearcats mounted a late rally in the bottom of the seventh, highlighted by a Phillips RBI, but it wasn’t enough as Cornell hung on 7-4.

Binghamton opened up the scoring again in the second game.

Meadows showed prowess on the base paths in the first inning after reaching third base on a throwing error. Sophomore Shannon McLeese drove home Meadows with a single to put Binghamton up 1-0.

But the Cornell seniors would not be denied in their last game.

Cornell took the lead in the top of the second with a two-RBI single from sophomore Izzy Pines.

Wolf went out in fashion for Cornell, going 4-4, including a two run home run off Bearcats junior Patty Egan in the third and a solo homerun in the fifth. Campagnolo, a three-time first team Ivy League player, had a three-RBI pinch hit double in the top of the sixth to cap a seven run inning, putting the Big Red up 12-2.

But the Bearcats never gave up.

A two run home run by freshman Deannie Plemon closed the gap to 12-4, but that was all the Bearcats would get as Cornell freshman Elizabeth Dairymple recorded the complete game for the Big Red.

Plemon, McLeese and freshman Steph DeLuca all had multi-hit games for the Bearcats in the second game. McLeese went 5-7 in the series.

After the game, head coach Ali Brian remained upbeat about the team’s performance, citing that the score was not descriptive of the games that were played and that the team’s attitude remained positive.

“Lesser teams would have quit,” Brian said.

The Binghamton softball team’s final home stand is this weekend against the University of Hartford Hawks. Saturday’s doubleheader begins at 1 p.m., and the last home game of year is at 11 a.m. on Sunday. All games are at East Gym Field.