MOUNT VERNON – Cornell charged back in the thick of the Midwest Conference South Division baseball race with a 5-1, 5-4 sweep over previous co-leader Monmouth Wednesday night at Ash Park.

The Rams (9-15 overall) climbed to 6-4 in the division, percentage points behind Illinois College (9-4) and Grinnell (5-3) with still three weeks to go in the regular season. Cornell finished 3-3 in its six-game series with Monmouth (11-8 overall, 9-6 MWC).

Cornell's pitching staff was stellar against the Fighting Scots, not allowing an earned run over the entire 18 innings. Monmouth managed only 10 total hits in the doubleheader.  

Sophomores Brett Potter (SO/Glendale Heights, Ill.) (1-1) and Preston Wright (SO/Orlando, Fla.) combined on a five-hitter in the opening game. Freshman Evan Parshall (FR/Riverside, Calif.) (2-0) wound up the Game 2 winner, striking out the side in the top of the ninth that led to a dramatic comeback in Cornell's final at-bat.

Trailing 4-3, the Rams put the pressure on Monmouth in the bottom of the ninth, getting the rally started with a single by Lalo Zepeda (FR/Chandler, Ariz.) followed by a walk from Zac Stallman (FR/Cedar Rapids, Iowa). Pinch runner Easton Jensen (JR/Mesquite, Nev.) came around to score from third base with help from a Monmouth error that tied it at 4-4.

The Rams then loaded the bases with one out for James Kent (SO/Phoenix, Ariz.), who sent Cornell out a walk-off winner with a sharp ground ball to second that easily allowed Darren Mancke (FR/Oswego, Ill.) to score the decisive run.

Cornell prevailed in Game 2 despite collecting only four hits. Peyton Berthel (SR/Davenport, Iowa), Stallman and Mancke each had an RBI.

Cornell's pitchers recorded 13 strikeouts in the second game. Carter Krieger fired five scoreless innings in a starting role, yielding four hits. Tyler Lederhos (SR/Aurora, Colo.) fanned four batters over two innings of relief and Parshall struck out all three batters he faced.

The Rams came back from a late 1-0 deficit in Game 1. Kent pushed the Rams ahead with a two-run single in the seventh. Cornell added three insurance runs in the eighth, highlighted by Zepeda's two-RBI hit.

Mancke went 3-for-4 to lead Cornell's 11-hit attack. Caleb Sass (SR/Iowa City, Iowa) and Stallman added two hits apiece.

Potter tossed seven strong innings for the Rams, allowing five hits and striking out five. Wright came on to finish the job, working two scoreless innings for his first collegiate save.  

Coming up – The Rams travel to play Illinois College (12-13 overall) for a noon doubleheader Saturday in Jacksonville, Ill.