The Cornell baseball team (12-26, 4-6 Ivy) rounded out its 2001 campaign in winning fashion, taking the nightcap of a non-league doubleheader against Siena (24-26, 14-7 MAAC) to snap a three-game skid. The win also halted the Saints’ 11-game winning streak.
The Red outperformed Siena in all but one inning in the opener, tallying ten hits in contrast to the Saints’ four. Cornell jumped out to the first lead of the game when right fielder Erik Rico plated shortstop Dan Baysinger with a sacrifice fly in the top of the third. Baysinger was one of four Red batsmen with a pair of hits in the contest.
Siena erupted for five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, which amounted to all of the Saints’ offense in the game. Third baseman Tony Cipolla doubled in two runs for the eventual game-winning hit. Red first baseman Flint Foley doubled in Rico two innings later to bring the score to 5-2, but Mark Smith closed out Cornell in the seventh to pick up a save. The win marked Siena’s 11th consecutive victory.
Chris Schutt was hit with the loss for the Red, whiffing five and allowing three earned runs on four hits over five innings of work. His record fell to 1-4. Jason Kiser took the win, also striking out five and walking nobody in six innings.
The sequel started off with a bang, as both clubs put a four spot on the board in the first inning. The teams traded off runs for the next three innings, and after four, the Saints led 6-5. Senior co-captain Raul Gomez began the Cornell fifth with a double to left. Foley followed with an RBI single to even the score. Catcher Paul Hudson scored Foley a few batters later on a sacrifice fly to take the lead.
The Red tallied another run an inning later, when Rico reached on an error by right fielder Scott DiMartini. Rico moved all the way to third on the play, and scored when Gomez, the cleanup hitter, hit a sacrifice fly to left. Rico’s run was one of three in the game and four on the day for the junior.
John Hardy pitched 3 2/3 innings of solid scoreless relief, allowing just one hit and fanning two Siena batters. He notched the win, improving his record to 2-3. Dale Szachewicz was credited with the loss in 3 1/3 innings of work.
Archived article by Alex Fineman