Today, the baseball team will journey to our nearest “big”
city to experience an oceanic feeling of sorts.
Syracuse is Cornell’s destination and the site of a doubleheader
with LeMoyne College. The Red will toss a lifejacket under its uniform as
it suits up for two games with the Dolphins.
Cornell (8-15, 4-6 Ivy) is coming off a weekend that saw it split a
four-game series with Penn (17-11, 5-7). After taking both contests
from the Quakers on Friday, the Red succumbed on Saturday, falling 6-1 and
10-2.
The most frustrating component of the weekend losses was that
Cornell had been within one game of first place, behind current Gehrig
division leader Princeton (13-17, 8-4) and now second-place Columbia
(12-21, 6-6). After Friday’s play, the Tigers and Lions were tied at 6-4 in
the division, with the Red trailing at 4-4.
Despite now bringing up the rear in its conference, the Red can at least assuage its wounds with the fact that its two victories ended a five-game skid that threatened to destroy any hopes Cornell had for flying the Ivy pennant over Hoy Field.
As it stands, the Red has 10 games remaining in league play: four with the Tigers, four with the Lions, and two with Brown (12-16, 6-4), the current Rolfe division leader.
Head coach Tom Ford reflected on the weekend’s games.
“[The two wins] gave the team a little more confidence and got us back to
where we were supposed to be,” he said.
“Those games were really crucial. Unfortunately we lost those two on Saturday, which set us back a little bit. But it was definitely a big boost to our confidence, just knowing the fact that we could do it together,” centerfielder Andrew Luria supported.
When asked about the importance of the two wins in putting an end to the
losing-streak, Ford commented, “[The wins] put a halt to it and [they]
got them back in the right frame of mind.”
Luria echoed Ford’s sentiments.
“It was definitely something we needed to do. The guys all believed in each
other and came out expecting to win those games. We knew we were going to do it the whole time, even when we were down,” he asserted.
Before it tackles Columbia on the road this weekend, the Red must first net the Dolphins.
LeMoyne (16-10, 6-3 MAAC) is holding on to second place in its league and
last weekend took 2-of-3 from Siena College. Designated hitter Steven Suarez
led the Dolphins’ offensive effort in Sunday’s loss, going 2-for-4 from the
plate with three RBIs coming off two homeruns.
As of April 11th, the Dolphins were posting a 4.45 team ERA and a strong .322 batting average.
“Every year we play them, they are a very solid team. Their offense is
always very solid and pitching is usually their strong point,” Ford recalled. “It will certainly be tough for us, it always is. [LeMoyne] is a very competitive team and it will be a good test for us.”
The doubleheader will start at 1 p.m. with both games slated for seven
innings.
Freshman Glenn Morris will get the ball in the opener for the first start of his Ivy campaign, while the second game starter is yet to be determined.
In summarizing the team’s goals for these contests, Ford put it simply.
“We are just looking to play good baseball,” he stated.
“For us to come out [today] and for us to play the way we know how to play and do what we did Friday against Penn, I think that will catapult us into
the weekend against Columbia,” Luria added about the games.
When questioned about the team’s goals for today, the centerfielder said
the Red needed to “just come out with a solid approach, to believe in each other and to come out and play the way we know how to play.”
Archived article by Katherine Granish