The Prairie Fire softball team lost both games of a Sunday Midwest Conference doubleheader to Cornell College, 9-5 and 7-1.

Knox (8-26, 2-10) next plays Wednesday at Grinnell in a league doubleheader. The Prairie Fire closes the regular season Saturday, hosting Ripon at 1 p.m., followed by the second game.

In the opening game on Sunday, Knox trailed 3-0 after the top of the first, but the Prairie Fire responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning.

Taylor Goudschaal doubled home Maddie Hicks and Chelsea McKee for Knox's first two runs. Knox then took the lead in the second after a Cornell error let McKee and Thomson score. 

Cornell came roaring back through, tying the game at the top of the third. The game remained tied until the top of the fifth, when Cornell tallied four runs. The Rams added one in the sixth before Knox capped the game's scoring with a single run in the seventh as Hicks singled home, Cheyanne Merkel.

Maddie Hicks contributed three RBIs and three hits, while Taylor Goudschaal recorded two RBIs for Knox.

In the second game, Cornell led 1-0 through two innings, but the Rams scored four in the third and two more in the fourth for a 7-0 lead.

Knox finally dented the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh, when Kara Burwell singled home Merkel to break up the shutout. Burwell added two hits to go with her RBI.