MOUNT VERNON – Kole Hinrichsen continued his ascent on Cornell's pitching strikeouts list during Wednesday's 12-2 Game 1 rout over Midwest Conference baseball foe Monmouth at Ash Park Field.
 
After exploding for a season-best 21 hits in the opener, the Rams' batting lineup was bottled up for most of Game 2 and Monmouth hung on late to take the nightcap, 4-2.
 
The Rams, winners of six of their last eight games, moved to 17-11 overall, 8-6 in the MWC. They stand fourth in the MWC race, only percentage points behind third-place Chicago (14-11 overall, 8-5) with the Maroons coming to town this weekend for a pivotal three-game set.
 
Hinrichsen (5-1) logged his seventh consecutive start of at least six innings, limiting the Fighting Scots (10-18 overall, 5-11 MWC) to four hits and a pair of runs while striking out eight. The dominant senior right-hander vaulted to No. 2 on the program's single-season strikeouts list with 72, one more than he recorded last spring.
 
Hinrichsen struck out the final batter he faced with the bases loaded to end the sixth inning. He is now three strikeouts shy of Cornell's season record, set by Ryan Rosenberg in 2004.
 
Freshman reliever Carson King retired all six Fighting Scots he faced, striking out three.  
 
All nine Cornell starters tallied a hit in the opener, led by a 3-for-5 effort from James Kent who doubled and drove in three runs. Drew Logel and Colin Whelan both went 3-for-4, while Grant Morris also contributed three hits and scored twice.
 
Cornell mounted a comeback in the bottom of the ninth in Game 2. Leadoff man Darren Mancke extended his consecutive reached base streak to 25 games with a two-out RBI single that brought the Rams within 4-2.
 
The Rams had the bases packed when Monmouth escaped by inducing a game-ending groundout.
 
Kale Rose continued his tear at the plate with four hits in the doubleheader, including a 2-for-4 line with an RBI double in Game 2.
 
Cornell starter Jake Schope (5-2) was dealt his first loss since mid-March, allowing three runs while fanning four over 5.2 innings. Preston Wright fired three hitless innings in relief, striking out five.  
 
Coming up – The Rams host Chicago for a noon doubleheader Saturday, followed by a single game at noon Sunday in Mount Vernon.