Bombarded for the second time in five games, Cornell’s pitching staff suffered its worst performance of the season in a 23-4 loss to Le Moyne yesterday at Hoy Field. The Dolphins (15-10) won for the 13th time in 14 games, banging out 23 hits while the Red (10-13) managed just three.
Le Moyne jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning off of starting pitcher sophomore Conor Kelly. The visitors continued, effectively ending the game with a 14 batter, 10-run third inning. Kelly, making his first start of the season, lasted only two plus innings before being relieved. He was responsible for the first six Le Moyne runs.
Shortstop Anthony Aquilino and center fielder Kyle Brown led the Dolphin’s offensive blitz with four for seven performances at the plate, but they were just two of eight Le Moyne players to tally multiple hits against a beleaguered Cornell pitching staff. Aquilino drove in a team-high three runs while Brown scored a Dolphin best four. Brown also finished with the team’s lone extra-base hit, a double.
The Red was already in a 14-0 hole in the bottom of the fourth when sophomore shortstop Matt Miller delivered the team’s first hit, a triple, but Cornell was never able to mount a serious comeback attempt. After falling behind 23-1, Cornell scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to cap scoring. Miller finished with two of the Red’s three hits, with senior third baseman Jim Jackson picking up the other.
Eight Le Moyne pitchers combined on the three-hitter, with starting pitcher Craig Soja picking up the win in three scoreless innings. Soja improveALUE 2-0 on the year, while Kelly fell to 1-1 for Cornell.
Losers of four of five, Cornell returns to action this weekend when it travels to New York City for a four game set with Lou Gehrig division rival Columbia.
Archived article by Mark Fetzko