Cornell (3-11, 1-2 Ivy) came into its first Ivy League series of the year this past weekend having lost its first four series, hoping three matchups against Princeton (6-13, 2-1 Ivy) would help right the ship.
Minor mistakes in Friday’s two games cost the Red a pair of wins as pitchers’ duels kept the score close throughout the doubleheader. In Sunday’s play, the Red’s offensive attack was on full display, scoring 15 runs on 15 hits and notching a win in the series finale.
“It was a very competitive series with two close games and a good day offensively on Sunday to take control of the game early,” said head coach Dan Pepicelli. “All three of our starters had their best appearances of the year and commanded the fastball to limit Princeton’s offense.”
In the first game of Friday’s doubleheader, a duel on the mound led to extra innings and an eventual Princeton walk-off victory. Sophomore pitcher Carson Mayfield took the mound for the Red, posting a season-high eight strikeouts over six and two-thirds innings pitched as well as allowing a season-low three hits.
Mayfield retired the first 10 batters he faced before a single by Princeton in the fourth inning spoiled the no-hitter. On the offensive side of the ball, the Red struggled to put runners on, only accumulating two hits through the first four innings.
In the fifth, Cornell recorded the first two runs of the game when freshman infielder Luke Johnson started a two-out rally with a walk, followed by a double by junior outfielder Jakobi Davis and a single by junior outfielder John Quinlan.
An inning later, the Tigers roared back with three runs of its own, taking the lead when outfielder Caden Shapiro blasted a three-run homer to right field.
However, the Princeton lead was short lived as junior infielder Max Jensen connected and launched a solo home run into the seats to start off the eighth inning, ultimately forcing the game to extra innings.
After the Red was retired in order in the top half of the 10th, a single and hit by pitch put two on for the Tigers with no one out in the inning. Freshman pitcher Huxley Holcombe got the next two batters out on a fielder’s choice and fly out, before being replaced by junior pitcher Chris Ellison in hopes of forcing the game to another inning. Ellison struggled with his command and walked two straight batters to give Princeton the 4-3 victory.
Friday evening’s contest was a near replica of the earlier game, as the Red fell 4-3 at the hands of the Tigers. Jensen recorded four of the nine Cornell hits, knocking in the third run to put the Red up 3-0 in the fifth.
“[Jensen] is one of our leaders — there is no doubt about it. Anytime you can get that contribution from a leader, that is a big deal,” Pepicelli said. “He has been doing it all year but it really came together this weekend.”
Princeton capitalized in the sixth, drawing a walk and doubling to put runners on second and third with no outs. Facing his most difficult stretch of the game, sophomore pitcher Noah Keller limited the Tigers to just one run when infielder Jake Koonin hit a sacrifice fly to right field.
Unfortunately for Cornell, the eighth inning posed another challenge at the mound. Princeton’s Kyle Vinci powered a two-run homer to left field, before infielder Jordan Kelly singled in the Tigers’ fourth run of the game minutes later. While the Red threatened in the ninth, it was not able to get the game-tying fourth run across.
In the series finale, Cornell’s offense exploded for 15 runs, forcing Princeton’s starting pitcher, Shapiro, out of the game after recording just two outs. Davis capped off a seven-run first inning with a grand slam, before the Red offense would tack on more in the later innings.
“[After a big first inning like that], you understand that the work is far from done since they haven’t even had a chance to bat yet,” Pepicelli said. “What I am most proud about is that we stayed in the hunt offensively and continued to tack on, putting up eight more runs. Overall, it was a good day.”
Three hits and a walk in the fifth, plus five hits and a walk in the ninth put the game out of reach for the Tigers, as all nine of Cornell’s starters reached base safely in the game — including seven with hits.
On the mound, sophomore pitcher Ethan Hamill and freshman pitcher Nathaniel Jennewein took care of the Princeton offense. Hamill pitched six and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs and five hits while Jennewein pitched the remainder of the game, putting up zeros across the board in runs and hits.
Looking to ride the momentum of its most recent win, the Red will travel back to Ithaca to battle Dartmouth (6-9, 2-1 Ivy) in a three-game series from March 30-31. The action begins with a doubleheader at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, followed by Sunday’s finale at Noon.