Princeton leaned on an explosive Saturday to secure its opening Ivy League Series, taking two of three from Cornell Clarke Field.
The Tigers (7-12, 2-1 Ivy) swept Saturday's doubleheader — 13-7 and 12-0 — before Cornell (3-13, 1-2 Ivy) responded with a 6-3 win in Sunday’s finale.
Saturday’s doubleheader proved decisive.
Game 1: A Near Comeback
The Tigers were hungry right out of the gate.
Princeton scored the first 13 runs of the game, building its lead with a five-run third and a seven-run fifth after Tommy Googins got the Tigers on the board with an RBI single in the second.
Cornell, however, showed some fight.
The Red finally answered in the sixth when senior first baseman TJ Swidorski broke the shutout with a three-run home run. Cornell kept chipping away late, as sophomore left fielder Tyler Beaulieu hit the first home run of his collegiate career — a two run shot in the ninth — and junior shortstop Kevin Hager followed with an RBI infield single. Junior third baseman Luke Johnson later drew a bases-loaded walk to cut the deficit to 13-7.
Hager finished with a team-high three hits in the opener, while Beaulieu’s homer added one of the few bright spots for Cornell’s offense. Junior right-hander Ethan Van Sice was effective out of the bullpen, tossing three scoreless innings and striking out four.
Cornell's early pitching trouble, however, put the Red behind quickly and made it tough for them. Senior right-hander Carson Mayfield exited after 2 and a third innings with an apparent injury, allowing four runs (one unearned) on five hits. Meanwhile, Princeton starter Justin Kim was dominant, striking out eight over five frames.
Game 2: A Lopsided Defeat
The latter end of the doubleheader offered no relief.
Princeton’s bats didn’t cool off, picking up right where they left off in game one, jumping ahead to a 5-0 lead through two innings.
Cornell never found a way back into the game as the Tigers cruised to a 12-0 shutout. The Tigers capitalized on four Cornell errors and added runs in bunches throughout the middle innings to complete the sweep.
Princeton’s Grant Werdesheim led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly in the first before Jake Koonin tacked on a solo shot to end a two-run first-inning frame. In the second inning, Tomas Cernius helped pad the lead with an RBI single. The Tigers kept extending the margin from there, adding a run in the fourth and then three straight two-run innings from the sixth through the eighth.
Cernius led the Tigers with three hits, while Bennett Crerar drove in a team-high three runs. Princeton starter James Beasley matched Kim’s strong outing from the first game, throwing five scoreless innings. Tigers reliever Elliot Eaton continued where Beasley left off, finishing the shutout with four no-hit relief innings.
Cornell managed just three hits in the nightcap. Freshman first baseman Aiden Barclay recorded two of them, and junior second baseman Owen Carlson had the other. Junior left-hander Huxley Holcombe started for the Red and allowed five runs over three innings.
For Cornell, the weekend was a rough introduction to Ivy League play. Princeton’s lineup was too deep, too disciplined and too productive over both games, while the Red never fully recovered after early deficits in either contest.
Game 3: A Bounce-Back Triumph
Going into Sunday, the Red was looking to break its four-game losing streak against Princeton.
The Red got on the board early as sophomore catcher Mason Barela singled into right field to bring home Beaulieu, who had just advanced to second base after a wild pitch from Princeton.
In the bottom of the first inning, the Tigers responded with a double into the outfield that drove in two runs. Senior pitcher Ethan Hamill closed out the first inning for the Red, with Princeton leading 2-1.
At the top of the third, the Red drew even as Barela was able to bring home Beaulieu yet again with a sacrifice fly.
The Tigers were able to regain momentum after a solo home run down center field to put Princeton back up 3-2 at the end of the fourth inning.
Hamill responded to Princeton’s onslaught with perhaps his best outing of the season. He tied his career high of 6 strike-outs and was able to keep the Tigers scoreless for the remainder of his 5-inning outing.
Not only did Hamill have a great game, but pitchers sophomore John Hegarty and junior Max Foster were able to maintain the Red’s defensive momentum, keeping the Tigers scoreless for the remainder of the game.
The Red regained its rhythm at the top of the eighth inning as freshman Jake Hower hit a solo home run down the left field to tie the game up. The Red’s offensive flurry at the top of the 8th inning continued as Hager doubled to put Cornell into scoring position once again. After two wild pitches, Hager was able to put the Red out in front for good to put them up 4-3 going into the final inning.
The Red were able to extend its lead to 6-3 after Senior Caden Wildman hit a two-run homer to left field. From there, it was all up to Foster. Foster delivered as the Red held on to win 6-3 against the Tigers.
While Cornell lost the series against Princeton 2-1, Sunday’s victory was a major step in the right direction for the Red as both its offense and defense proved that they can beat anyone on its best day.
The Red will now prepare for their home opener in conference play on March 28 at 11:30 a.m. against Harvard.
Austin Curtis is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a Sun Staff Writer and can be reached at acurtis@cornellsun.com.
