Men's lacrosse: 8, Hobart: 7

Men's lacrosse holds on to defeat Hobart despite not scoring in the second half; team will play Hofstra in NCAA tournament

The Statesman defense and junior goalie Max Silberlicht shut down the No. 2 offense in the country for an entire half on Saturday, but Cornell's eight first-half goals were enough of a cushion for the Red to get the 8-7 win in its last regular-season game of 2009. The 15 seniors on the Red's roster were treated to a win in their regular-season finale at Schoellkopf Field, pushing Cornell's record to 10-3, the fifth straight season with 10 wins. Hobart fell to 7-7.

Cornell’s late-season magic carpet ride came to an abrupt end yesterday as the Red suffered a 10-0 defeat to Dartmouth in the deciding Game 3 of the Ivy League Championship series. The Red and the Green split Saturday’s doubleheader in Hanover, N.H.. Cornell dropped the opener 8-6 before squaring the series with a 14-12 victory in the nightcap.

“We expected to win the Ivy League, but there were many successes along the way that made the season an extremely positive experience,” said head coach Bill Walkenbach ’98.

Those inside the Cornell sports world recognize him as the second all-time passing leader at quarterback in school history and a first-team all-Ivy third baseman. Those outside of the Cornell sports world know him as that guy from Cornell who was mentioned in an episode of “The Office.”

Whether he was heaving last-second touchdown passes into the end zone at Lehigh or helping the baseball team post its first winning season and capture its first division title since 2005, senior Nathan Ford has done it all.

The baseball team lost two games to Dartmouth in early April and dropped to 2-6 in Ivy League action. Thanks to the Red’s 9-0 victory over Princeton on Wednesday, however, the teams will play a best-of-three series over the weekend to determine the Ivy League champion.

The winner will get an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

The Green (23-14, 16-4 Ivy), winner of seven of its last 10 games, features a potent lineup that scored almost eight runs per contest this season. Freshman shortstop Joe Scalfani hit two home runs and drove in five when the teams first met. The switch-hitter got on base at a .450 clip and slugged .517 out of the leadoff spot this year. Neither Scalfani nor No. 2 hitter Jeff Onstott run much because of the power that follows.

The baseball team will host Princeton tomorrow for the right to face Dartmouth for the Ivy League Championship. The Red (15-21, 10-10 Ivy) split a doubleheader with the Tigers (18-18, 10-10) on Friday and dropped the first game of Monday’s twin bill. Needing a win in Game 2, freshman infielder Frank Hager blasted a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to put Cornell in front for good. The fact that the Red is even in this position is remarkable considering its 2-11 start.

The baseball team played four games against Princeton in hopes of determining a champion in the Ivy League’s Gehrig division. All that was determined is that the teams need to play a fifth game. Rookie Frank Hager’s clutch home run Sunday afternoon helped Cornell (15-21, 10-10 Ivy) finish with a 2-2 record on the weekend, thus preserving a tie with Princeton (18-17, 10-10 Ivy) for the best record in the division.

“[Sunday’s win] was very exciting ,” senior Adam Jacobs said. “Being a senior, that could have been my last game here at Cornell. We came together, pulled it out, and lived to fight another day, but we know our job is not done yet.”

A spot to battle against the Rolfe Division champion for the Ivy League title is up for grabs this weekend as Cornell takes on Princeton. The Red will tangle with the Tigers in a twinbill today at Clarke Field before returning home to Hoy Field on Sunday to wrap up the final two games of this series and the Ancient Eight season.

Since the Ivy League switched to a two-division format in 1993, no team has ever finished in last place for three years in a row, then bounced back to capture a division title the very next season. Cornell would be the first team to pull off such a remarkable turnaround.

Yesterday, the baseball team traveled to Loudonville, N.Y., for an afternoon doubleheader against host Siena College. In the opening game, the Red bats caught fire early and continued to torch the Saints’ pitching throughout, carrying the Red to a 15-3 victory. In the second game, Cornell coughed up a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning, as Siena earned a 7-4 win to split the day’s series.

Cornell freshman centerfielder Brian Billigen led off in the first inning of Game 1 with a triple, while senior Nathan Ford and sophomore Jadd Schmeltzer both added a home run in that same opening inning, vaulting the Red to a 4-0 lead.

We’ve all heard the clichés. A team that struggles one season will undoubtedly enter the next season talking about a return to contention. Optimistic players and coaches will explain that if the team plays hard, does the little things and catches a few breaks, it can return to respectability. However, more often than not, last place teams — such as the 2008 Cornell baseball team — wind up near the bottom of the standings the next season.

It is do or die time for the Red. The baseball squad approaches a crossroads this season and must now demonstrate it is prepared to take its place among the league’s elite. Cornell, Princeton and Columbia all share the top perch in the Gehrig Division with identical 5-7 records. This weekend the Red will travel to the Lions’ den at Robertson Field in New York City and play back-to-back doubleheaders tomorrow and Sunday.