It was a long night at Hoy Field for the baseball team, which fell in both games of a doubleheader to neighboring Binghamton. These losses drop the Red to 6-13 overall and a dismal 2-10 for the month of April.
Binghamton turned out three quick runs in the first two innings of the opener and survived two offensive streaks by the Red in the third and the eighth to hold on for a 13-8 win. While Binghamton made contact for just three more hits than the Red, the visitors were much better at capitalizing on their chances, driving in five more runs than the home team.
Head coach Tom Ford was satisfied with the team’s defense, but cited inconsistent pitching as the biggest flaw for the Red in Tuesday’s games.
Senior captain Raul Gomez attributed the team’s offensive problems to this same weakness, noting, “We’ve got to keep the other team from scoring so much in order to stay in it. Offensively it’s a big hill to climb. We’re always going uphill.”
The nightcap didn’t end any better for the Red. Leading by just one run through four innings, Binghamton then scored three in the fifth, one in the sixth, and its tenth and final run in the seventh to pull away for the 10-3 win.
The Red has beaten Binghamton consistently in the past and had hoped for two strong wins going into tomorrow and Saturday’s doubleheaders against Ancient Eight foe Pennsylvania. The Red maintains a 2-4 record in Ivy League contests — one that could jump above .500 with a successful run this weekend.
Both Red players and coaches alike insist on restored team confidence as the key to future victories. Gomez pointed to a loss earlier in the season as the turning point for the struggling Red.
“A bad game against Penn State earlier this season really shook the team up,” he explained. “We’re not playing with the same confidence we had in Florida over Spring Break.”
Ford echoed the sentiments of his captain regarding the Red’s early season successes, maintaining, “We had good pitching and good defense in Florida. We’ve got to find a way to recapture that.” This weekend’s matches are the perfect opportunity for the Red to gain back momentum and finish its season on top.
Tomorrow and Saturday’s doubleheaders are both scheduled for noon on Cornell’s Hoy Field.
Archived article by Sarah Spain