Cornell baseball rallied on March 22 to defeat Princeton 6-3 at Clarke Field, avoiding a sweep in its Ivy League-opening series. The Big Red scored four unanswered runs over the final two innings after trailing 3-2, securing the win in the last game of the weekend.
The victory came after Cornell was outscored by Princeton in Saturday’s doubleheader losses, with scores of 13-7 and 12-0. Freshman right fielder Jake Hower tied the game in the eighth inning with a solo home run, followed by junior shortstop Kevin Hager doubling and eventually scoring on wild pitches. Senior center fielder Caden Wildman added a two-run home run in the ninth inning to provide additional cushion for Cornell.
Junior right-handed pitcher Max Foster earned his third save of the season by preventing a ninth-inning rally from Princeton. Eight of Cornell’s nine starters recorded hits during the game, with Wildman and sophomore catcher Mason Barela each driving in two runs.
Barela gave Cornell an early lead with an RBI single, but Princeton responded quickly as Will Robbins doubled home two runs. The teams traded leads until Jake Kernodle’s solo home run put Princeton ahead again in the fourth inning. However, strong pitching performances from senior Ethan Hamill and sophomore John Hegarty kept Princeton scoreless over the final innings.
Hamill matched his career high with six strikeouts across five innings while allowing three runs on three walks. Hegarty pitched three hitless innings in relief before handing off to Foster for the save.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak against Princeton for Cornell and ended a 34-game losing streak when trailing after seven innings under head coach Dan Pepicelli. Next, Cornell will host Harvard for its first home series of the season.
