[Softball] Cornell wins Ivy Title and NCAA Bid Sweeping Brown

[nyc94]

[Q]billhoward Wrote:

There was a time through the 1970s when Cornell claimed to have more intecollegiate sports that any other school. That counted things such as polo, rugby, equestrian. Oddly, MIT was also up there, just not quite as prominent on the NCAA final four front.

I don't think Cornell makes the claim any more. [/q]

I believe Harvard is currently making that claim.

[Tom Pasniewski 98]

The Cornell softball team (39-11) was shipped to the farthest bracket away from campus - the UCLA bracket - for the NCAA softball regionals and selected as the #6 seed in that bracket and will play #3 seed Long Beach State (48-11) at 12 Noon ET this Thursday, May 20th.  Yes, that's 9 a.m. local time.  Interestingly, of the between 112 and 120 regional softball games that will be played (14 or 15 games depending on outcomes in each regional), ESPN picked exactly three regional games to cover and they are all in the UCLA regional.  It takes four wins to win a regional.

A Cornell win over Long Beach State would put Cornell on ESPN for Cornell's second game to be played Friday, May 21st, at 3 p.m. ET against the winner of the Central Michigan (32-17) - Alabama (42-18) game (the 2-7 seeds).  And in fact if Cornell were to win its first three games, it would appear on all three of ESPN's televised regional games.  Since the television commitment was in place before the brackets announced, I don't know if this says anything about the Cornell team.

There is a loser's bracket which allows for one loss.  If Cornell loses it's opening game, they would play the loser of the Central Michigan-Alabama game at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday in their second game.  A loss in that second game or thereafter eliminates Cornell from the tournament.

For the complete UCLA bracket:
http://images.sportsline.com/images/ncaasports/brackets/d1_soft_ucla_regional_bracket_2004.pdf

For the complete list of teams:
http://www.ncaasports.com/softball/womens/story/7335857

Just as with the hockey comparison, the majority of other schools have played more games than Cornell (50) - some in the 60's and one team 70 games.

[jy3]

cool
good luck RED! LGR!

[ugarte]

[Q]Tom Pasniewski 98 Wrote:
For the complete list of teams:
http://www.ncaasports.com/softball/womens/story/7335857[/q]
Why is Cornell listed as the AQ from the "Ivy Group"?

[Tom Pasniewski 98]

[Q]ugarte Wrote:

 [Q2]Tom Pasniewski 98 Wrote:
For the complete list of teams:
http://www.ncaasports.com/softball/womens/story/7335857[/Q]
Why is Cornell listed as the AQ from the "Ivy Group"?[/q]

A good question and one that I don't necessarily have an answer for other than an inaccruate description as other media outlets use the term Ivy League champ which they are along with Brown.  In a few sports, not all Ivy schools participate, and generally that is referred to as an Ivy Group if they are a standalone conference, rather than the Ivy League.  All eight schools participate in softball so I thing group is just being used interchangably with League.

Cornell has a 17-game winning streak heading into the NCAA tournament.  Cornell has never won a single NCAA playoff game.  Something will have to give.  The UCLA bracket is considered the second most difficult bracket as the winner of the bracket will automatically be the #2 seed in the Softball World Series regardless of who wins the bracket.

[Tom Pasniewski 98]

In the top of the fourth inning, Cornell and Long Beach State are scoreless with Long Beach State having 2 hits to Cornell's 0.

[Pete Godenschwager]

2-0 Cornell, bottom 4th

[ugarte]

[Q]Pete Godenschwager Wrote:

 2-0 Cornell, bottom 4th[/q]

Is the game being netcast? Where?

[Tom Pasniewski 98]

There is a link through Long Beach athletics but it said it wasn't accepting any more people.  Game Tracker is available (it's slow to update) on the Cornell Athletics site.  Long Beach site is:  http://www.longbeachstate.com/

Yes, that is the link to the Athletics Department, not the University.

[Tom Pasniewski 98]

http://www.longbeachstate.com/local/AUDIO/softball-audio.html

for direct link

[jkahn]

Live stats also at:
http://uclabruins.collegesports.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/ucla-2004-regional.html
seem to update every half inning.
2-0 end of 5

[ugarte]

Thanks. Can't access the audio (as you predicted). I had already found the live stats, but the definition of live appears to be "at the end of a half inning".

[Tom Pasniewski 98]

Well, we appear headed to the bottom of the sixth already.  Incidentally, Cornell is shooting for a team record 42nd win and Dick Blood's 300th win as Cornell coach, not to mention a national tv audience tomorrow.

[ugarte]

Damn. Our leadoff runner thrown out at the plate trying to score from 2d on a single.  

Still 2-0 Cornell heading to the bottom of the sixth.

[ugarte]

Softball is only seven innings, right?

LBSU scored 1 in the bottom of the sixth.  

Time for some insurance ...