Freshman pitcher Ross Yoshida delivered 5 1/3 hitless, scoreless innings in relief to earn his first collegiate win as the Cornell baseball team defeated Ivy League-leading Yale 5-3 at Booth Field on April 17.
The victory is significant for Cornell, which improved its record to 7-21 overall and 5-8 in the Ivy League. The win also narrowed Yale’s lead in the all-time series and continued a recent trend of success for Cornell against their conference rival.
Yoshida finished his outing with six strikeouts, matching his season high. He retired the last eleven batters he faced after hitting Chace Chaplin with a pitch to start the sixth inning. The freshman issued one walk and hit two batters during his appearance but was able to keep Yale off the scoreboard throughout his time on the mound.
On offense, senior center fielder Caden Wildman and senior shortstop TJ Swidorski each drove in two runs for Cornell. Wildman, junior third baseman Luke Johnson, and freshman right fielder Jake Hower all recorded two hits apiece. Freshman designated hitter Trent Lopez contributed with a solo home run—his second in as many games—to tie the contest in the fourth inning.
Game notes indicate that this result trimmed Yale’s advantage in their historical matchup to 113-83 while improving Cornell’s record at Booth Field against Yale to three wins and one loss. The Big Red have now won nine of their last fourteen games versus Yale and have taken the series opener from them for six consecutive seasons.
Looking ahead, Cornell will host Yale again on April 18 for a doubleheader that will conclude their three-game weekend series at Booth Field. Both games are scheduled to be streamed online.
