Darkness fell over the baseball team yesterday, ending Game Two of a doubleheader early, but not before Siena (12-29-1) did its damage. Cornell (15-17-1) gave up five runs on seven hits in Game One’s 5-1 loss, before playing to a 1-1 tie in Game Two.
In the first game, Siena’s offense powered up early, as Scott King drove in Matt Mueller with a second-inning single for a 1-0 Saints’ lead. After the Saints left the bases loaded in the second, they made up for it by putting up a three spot in the third, then adding a single run in the fourth for a 5-0 lead.
The Red, on the other hand, were held scoreless for five innings by Siena’s Matt Gidaly. Just a freshman, Gidaly allowed just two hits en route to his first collegiate win.
Three Cornell players produced hits in the losing effort as juniors Ned Van Allan and David Bredhoff, and senior Paul Hudson all doubled. Bredhoff also earned an RBI as his two-bagger drove in Van Allan for Cornell’s lone run of the contest. Tad Bardenwerper was the losing pitcher for the Red.
Game two was markedly different, with both teams locked in a three-hour defensive battle. The game was called a 1-1 draw after 12 innings on account of darkness.
Junior Sam Sinkavich started on the mound for the Red, striking out one in four innings.
But the numbers are deceiving. Cornell limited the Saints, holding them scoreless until the fourth inning when Siena’s Brian Schmotzer drove in Shawn Hampton. Until then, Cornell had held off three Saints’ rallies including one that advanced runners to both second and third base.
Cornell responded in the fifth as junior Dan Parant singled in freshman Matt Goodson. The Red tried to rally, putting three more runners on base, but was stopped by the Siena pitching staff.
The Red was unable to pick up the timely hit throughout, stranding 14 runners.
Both teams each had another crack to pull ahead, but failed. Cornell left the bases full in the seventh. In the bottom of the 12th, Siena loaded the bases with none out, but the Red turned the threat aside, inducing a fielder’s choice, a flyout, and a groundout to preserve the tie.
The Red, however, held them at bay by fielding the next two hits to close out the inning.
Cornell returns to the field this Friday at Princeton for a noon doubleheader.
Archived article by Owen Bochner and Matt Janiga