MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's baseball team dropped a 14-3 decision to Midwest Conference co-leader Grinnell Tuesday night at Ash Park Field, although still controls its own postseason fate heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
 
The Rams (17-18 overall, 9-9 MWC) slipped into a tie with Monmouth (9-9 MWC) for the fourth and final spot into the MWC Tournament with three games to go.
 
Cornell holds the tiebreaker over Monmouth and sixth-place Lawrence (8-10 MWC), having taken the series from both teams, 2-1.
 
That sets up a big weekend ahead for the Rams against third-place Beloit (20-16 overall, 12-6 MWC). The teams play a 12 p.m. doubleheader Saturday in Beloit, Wis., followed by a single game at 12 p.m. Sunday in Mount Vernon.
 
Grinnell (20-15 overall, 14-4 MWC) jumped on the Rams early with four runs in the top of the first inning and played with the lead the rest of the eight-inning contest. The Pioneers collected 16 hits, seven going for extra bases.
 
The Rams were limited to seven singles, including two apiece from Caleb Smith and Seth Lopez. Smith extended his hitting streak to 11 games, while Thomas Hunt stretched his to 13 games with a hit in his first at-bat.
 
Lopez plated a run in the fourth and then scored on a wild pitch that brought Cornell within 6-3. The Pioneers answered with a two-out, three-run homer in the fifth and didn't look back.
 
No. 5 hitter Wyatt Raymond went 5-for-5 with three doubles and five runs scored to pace the Pioneers.