GRINNELL – Seth Beals blasted a two-run homer in the opener and accounted for four hits in Game 2 to guide Cornell to a pivotal 11-2, 7-3 Midwest Conference baseball sweep over Grinnell Thursday at Pioneer Park.
 
The Rams (14-9 overall) earned a 2-1 series win over Grinnell and jumped back over the .500 mark in MWC play at 5-4. Cornell cooled off a Pioneers squad (9-14 overall, 6-6 MWC) that had won six of its last seven games entering the twin bill.
 
Game 1 picked up in the top of the fourth inning from the March 30 suspended contest with Grinnell leading 1-0. The Rams quickly set the tone for the day with a big six-run frame in their first at-bat, capped by a two-run homer from Beals, his third round-tripper of the season.
 
Cornell put the opener out of reach with four more runs in the eighth, thanks to a pair of two-RBI singles from Colin Konicek and Kale Rose.
 
Vince Zipperer, Darren Mancke, Konicek and Colin Gierula all recorded multi-hit games. Drew Logel, Zipperer and Gierula each doubled.
 
Winning pitcher Jake Schope (5-1) was tough over 5.1 innings in relief, scattering six hits while not allowing an earned run.
 
In Game 2, the Rams rode the right arm of senior ace Kole Hinrichsen, who logged all nine innings and struck out 11 for his second complete-game victory of the spring. Hinrichsen (4-1) faced only four batters over the minimum and did not issue a walk.
 
Hinrichsen surrendered six hits and held the Pioneers scoreless over the final six innings.
 
Trailing 3-2, the Rams rallied for five runs in the top of the eighth to take control. Rose singled in the tying run and Drew Logel brought home Zipperer with the go-ahead score. Konicek, Gierula and Mancke added RBIs in the inning to push the Rams ahead 7-3.
 
Beals paced Cornell's 12-hit attack, going 4-for-5 with a run and two RBIs for his seventh multi-game of the season. Rose was 3-for-5 with an RBI.
 
Shortstop James Kent had two hits and became Cornell's new career leader for walks with 85. Kent's 22nd free pass of the season moved him past Walker Breard (2015-18) for No. 1 on the program's all-time list.  
 
Mancke doubled and walked. The junior outfielder has now reached base safely in 20 consecutive games.
 
Coming up – The Rams have a three-game MWC series scheduled with Knox (6-15 overall, 0-8 MWC) this weekend. The teams play a noon doubleheader Saturday in Galesburg, Ill., and then come to Mount Vernon Sunday for a single game at noon.