MOUNT VERNON – What started as a ho-hum afternoon nonconference baseball doubleheader developed into an all-night battle of attrition for the Cornell Rams and Central Dutch Tuesday at Ash Park Field.
After coasting 11-4 in the opener, Cornell had to settle for a split after a dizzying 12-11 Game 2 marathon loss that was ultimately decided on a balk call in the top of the 15th inning.
The scheduled seven-inning nightcap saw 48 players figure into the box score – including 30 Rams – and took 4 hours, 30 minutes to record the final out after 15 drama-filled innings.
Seth Beals delivered a game-tying RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings. After Central pulled ahead 11-10 in the eighth, the Rams made noise in the bottom of the frame.
Cornell (20-16) knotted the score at 11-11 on a wild pitch and had the winning run on third base with one out for
Grant Morris, who sent an apparent game-ending sacrifice fly to right field. Cornell's on-field celebration was short-lived however, as the Rams were called out at third base for leaving early to tag on the fly ball.
The game extended into the ninth, and well beyond at 11-11 before the Dutch (15-21) caught a break in the 15th.
Central's Colton Jones skied a perfectly-placed triple on the right-field line with two outs. Jones then trotted home with the decisive run on a balk by pitcher
Sean Giffen, who gave the Rams five terrific innings in relief, allowing four hits and the single run in only his second appearance of the season.
The Rams played errorless ball over the 15 innings, accounted for 14 hits and left 16 runners on base. Beals and
Colin Konicek both went 4-for-7 to lead Cornell's lineup. Beals,
Kale Rose and
Josiah Shaw had two RBIs apiece. Beals extended his on-base streak to 26 consecutive games.
Central did not surrender a hit in the final seven innings of Game 2.
With the Game 1 victory, coach
Robbie Dombrowski's Rams secured the sixth 20-win season in program history, and first since 2019.
Sophomore right-hander
Kaleb Whaley notched his first collegiate pitching win, allowing six hits and two earned runs over 5.1 innings.
Cornell scored four times in the first and broke the game open with seven more runs in its final two at-bats.
The Rams received two-hit games from
Vince Zipperer,
James Kent,
Darren Mancke and Beals.
Alec Boldt went 1-for-1 with three RBIs. Mancke scored three runs.
Colin Gierula drove in a pair.
Coming up – The Rams (10-11 Midwest Conference) look to make a push for a postseason berth this weekend with a three-game home series against second-place Ripon (20-15 overall, 13-8 MWC). The teams play a noon doubleheader Saturday, followed by a single game at noon Sunday.
Grinnell and Illinois College are tied for fourth place in the MWC at 11-10. The Rams stand one game behind, although hold tiebreakers over both teams.
