Fordham University secured a series win over Cornell University with a 16-11 victory in the final game of their three-game baseball series at Houlihan Park in the Bronx. The Rams took control with a nine-run third inning, overcoming an early deficit and holding off a late rally by the Big Red.
Cornell’s offense was led by sophomore catcher Mason Barela, who went 5-for-6 with singles, and senior center fielder Caden Wildman, who contributed four hits including a double and two RBI. Junior shortstop Kevin Hager added three hits, while senior first baseman TJ Swidorski had two hits and drove in four runs. The top four hitters for Cornell combined for 13 of the team’s 19 hits.
For Fordham, Anthony Grabau, Tommy McAndrews, Joey Donnelly, and Tommy Markey each recorded multiple hits. McAndrews played a key role in the third inning by tying the game with an RBI single and later hitting a two-run home run to cap off the nine-run frame.
After Wildman gave Cornell an early lead with an RBI double in the third inning, Fordham responded with nine runs on four hits, taking advantage of walks, hit batters, and defensive errors by Cornell. The teams exchanged runs in the fourth before Fordham extended its lead with five more runs in the fifth inning.
Cornell narrowed its deficit to four runs after scoring nine times in the sixth inning. This surge included junior third baseman Luke Johnson being hit by pitches twice and was capped by Swidorski’s grand slam. However, Fordham added another run in the eighth after benefiting from a fielding error and passed ball.
In the ninth inning, Cornell attempted to rally again but left the bases loaded as Fordham closed out the win.
On the mound for Cornell, senior right-handed pitcher Ethan Hamill lasted just over two innings and issued four walks. Senior Josh Shea took the loss after failing to record an out in relief. Additional pitchers Ethan Van Sice and Noah Keller allowed ten combined runs between them during critical middle innings. Freshman Michael Tight pitched four innings of relief without allowing an earned run.
Fordham starter Aidan Dowd limited Cornell to two runs over four innings. Reliever Alec Murray allowed eight runs but Aric Berg finished strong with two scoreless innings. Andrew Kapica picked up the win after pitching a scoreless fifth.
Following this result, Cornell’s all-time series lead against Fordham is now 14-9. The teams have alternated wins across their last eight meetings since April 1972.
Barela’s five-hit performance marked Cornell’s first since Will Simoneit achieved five hits against Army on April 3, 2019. Swidorski’s grand slam was also notable as it was Cornell’s first since Ryan Porter’s at Towson on March 15, 2025.
Sophomore outfielder Tyler Beaulieu registered his first collegiate hits during this game—a leadoff single followed by a two-RBI double during Cornell’s big sixth inning—while that same six-inning burst was their highest-scoring frame since tallying twelve runs against Harvard on April 10, 2011.
Over this weekend series against Fordham, Cornell batted .314 as a team. Barela led individual efforts going .571 (8-for-14), followed by Hager at .545 (6-for-11). Several other players also batted above .300 during these games.
Cornell will continue its season-opening road stretch next weekend when it travels to Virginia Military Institute for three games starting Saturday, March 14 at 1 p.m., with live coverage available on ESPN+.
