MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's baseball team crowned a new season strikeouts king in Kole Hinrichsen and stayed alive in the postseason hunt with a dramatic 8-7 comeback victory over Midwest Conference regular-season champion Beloit Sunday at Ash Park Field.
 
The Rams rallied for four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to claim the crucial home win, which moved Cornell to 19-16 overall, 10-11 in the MWC with a three-game home series remaining next weekend against second-place Ripon.
 
Cornell stands sixth in the league, needing to jump both Grinnell (11-9 MWC) and Illinois College (11-10 MWC) for a top-four spot in the MWC Tournament.
 
Hinrichsen struck out eight batters to climb to No. 1 on the program's single-season strikeouts list with 82, most in the MWC this spring. The senior right-hander broke the record of 75 strikeouts, set by Ryan Rosenberg in 2004.
 
The Washington, Iowa, native also became the third Ram to eclipse 200 strikeouts in a career, joining all-time leader Nick Boeset (220 from 1999-02) and Rosenberg (213 from 2003-06). Hinrichsen has 207 career strikeouts with one scheduled start left in the regular season.  
 
Hinrichsen took the no decision against Beloit (25-11 overall, 17-4 MWC), allowing five earned runs and walking one over 5.1 innings.
 
Trailing 7-4 and their season essentially on the line, the Rams mounted a big comeback in the eighth. Cornell strung together four consecutive one-out singles, including RBI hits by Seth Beals and Alec Boldt that pulled the Rams within 7-6.
 
Then with two outs, sophomore second baseman Grant Morris came through with a clutch two-run single to left center that gave the Rams an 8-7 lead.   
 
Left-hander Daulton Montagna shut down Beloit in the ninth, recording the game-ending strikeout with the tying run on second base. Montagna (2-1) was outstanding in 3.2 scoreless innings in relief to earn the win.
 
Darren Mancke blasted his third homer of the week, going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs. Kale Rose had two hits and two RBIs. Beals also contributed two hits.
 
Nine different Rams accounted for a hit against the Buccaneers, who entering having won seven of their last eight MWC games.
 
Coming up – The Rams step outside the conference Tuesday for a 4 p.m. home doubleheader against Central.