GRINNELL – Cornell's baseball team squandered scoring chances throughout Tuesday's doubleheader in falling 11-1 and 9-1 to Midwest Conference leader Grinnell at Pioneer Park.
The Rams (11-13 overall, 3-5 MWC) left 25 runners on base in the two games. Grinnell (11-12 overall, 5-1 MWC) racked up 25 total hits against eight Cornell pitchers and remained alone atop the league standings.
Cornell stranded 14 runners in Game 2, including the bases packed in the first and fifth frames without scoring.
Lucas Head doubled home
Luke Hull for Cornell's lone run in the seventh.
Grinnell built an 8-0 lead after five innings and outhit the Rams, 14-6.
Reliever
Evan Newman pitched the final two innings for Cornell, allowing no earned runs while striking out two.
Game 1 got away from the Rams after Hull's bases-loaded walk tied the score at 1-1 in the top of the fifth. Grinnell regained the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fifth and then broke it open with eight more in its final two at-bats.
The Rams were held to five hits and left six runners in scoring position.
Caleb Smith went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk.
Cornell starter
Logan Gannon (2-4) surrendered only three hits and two earned runs over 4.2 innings. He struck out five.
Coming up – The Rams travel to Jacksonville, Ill., this weekend for a three-game series against second-place Illinois College (14-12 overall, 5-3 MWC). The teams play a 12 p.m. doubleheader Saturday, followed by a single game Sunday at 12 p.m.
