After a crushing defeat against Le Moyne (15-10) on Wednesday, the men’s baseball team (10-13, 3-5 Ivy) looks to climb the Ivy League ladder against Lou Gehrig league rival Columbia this weekend in New York City for a four-game series today and tomorrow.
The Red is currently four games behind the league leader, Princeton (15-15, 7-1) and one game behind third place Columbia (16-19, 6-6). Cornell looks to break Columbia’s three-game winning streak and snap its losing streak.
Against Le Moyne, the pitching staff suffered its worse performance of the season allowing 18 hits and 23 runs. Five different pitchers tried to stymie the Dolphins, but none were truly effective. Juniors Luke Staskal and Sam Sinkavich, and freshman Paul Baker came the closest to saving the game, with each earning two strikeouts.
Cornell’s offense was also off-step, managing just three hits against the Le Moyne pitching squad. Sophomore Matt Miller started things off in the fourth, scoring a run after getting to third on a triple. The effort ended there, however, as Cornell would not score again until the seventh.
As Cornell winds down its season, the team’s cumulative batting average is at .250 with six home runs and a total of 185 hits. Junior Ned VanAllan leads the team with a .317 batting average and two home runs. Chris Schutt leads the pitchers with a 2.63 ERA and 52 strikeouts but only one win to show for it.
While Cornell looks to shake off the Le Moyne loss, Columbia is coming off an 11-1 win against Rutgers. The Lions’ offensive production doesn’t seem to be a fluke, either, as the team has now scored over 40 runs in its past three contests.
Columbia’s defense has also been on a hot streak. Starting pitcher Joshua Flinn gave up just one hit and walked four in six innings against Rutgers. Jessen Grant has also been stellar for the Lions with three wins on the season.
Grant pitched a complete game at Brown, striking out eight and walking three during the Lions’ 6-1 win. His numbers against Harvard were similar, with six strikeouts and just one walk.
The first pitch is scheduled for today at noon in the Big Apple. The two teams will take to the field again tomorrow at the same time and location.
Archived article by Josh Dormont