MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's flair for the dramatic surfaced again with Saturday's 10-9 walk-off victory over defending Midwest Conference baseball champion Lawrence in the MWC opener for both teams at Ash Park Field.
 
Freshman Max Mohapp was the hero this time, blasting a three-run homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the Rams off victorious in a game they trailed 9-1.
 
It was Cornell's third walk-off win of the season, and second at home in the last eight days.
 
Lawrence bounced back in Game 2 for an 11-1 win in seven innings.
 
Cornell (9-9 overall, 1-1 MWC) and Lawrence (5-14 overall, 1-1 MWC) meet in the rubber game of the series at 12 p.m. Sunday in Mount Vernon.
 
The Rams relied on the long ball to mount the big Game 1 comeback. Cornell struck five times in the bottom of the seventh, highlighted by a three-run homer from junior Jackson Simmons against his former team that pulled the Rams within 9-6.
 
Garrett Roehl started Cornell's rally in the ninth with a solo homer to left. Seth Lopez singled and Jasper Hancox doubled, putting two runners on with one out for Mohapp. Mohapp deposited a 1-0 pitch from Lawrence reliever Brady Dilworth over the left-field wall for his first collegiate homer and the game-winner.
 
Mohapp, who entered the game in the sixth inning, finished 2-for-3 with four RBIs. Simmons and Roehl connected for their first home runs of the season in aiding the comeback. Caleb Smith and Hancox scored two runs apiece.
 
Sophomore Brady Newtson (1-0) tossed two shutout innings in relief to earn the pitching win.   
 
In Game 2, the Vikings took advantage of six Cornell errors that led to seven unearned runs. Cornell ace Logan Gannon (2-2) gave up eight runs – only two earned – and struck out seven over five innings.
 
Roehl tallied two of Cornell's five hits and scored a run. Smith had a double.