Winners Score a Dozen in Baseball Doubleheader Split at Cornell

Saturday, April 23

Ithaca, N.Y. / Hoy Field

11:30 AM

Dartmouth College

17-14, 0

Cornell

9-18, 0

Dartmouth

Cornell

Kade Kretzschmar is congratulated by third base coach Mike Odenwaelder after his home run in game two.

Photo by: Eldon Lindsay/Cornell Athletics

Winners Score a Dozen in Baseball Doubleheader Split at Cornell

4/23/2022 6:35:00 PM | Baseball

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The Big Red scored 12 runs in the opener, Dartmouth returned the favor in the nightcap

By: Rick Bender

ITHACA, N.Y. — After dropping the first game of a doubleheader at Cornell by a 12-7 score, the Dartmouth baseball team returned the favor by scoring a dozen runs in game two, besting the Big Red at Hoy Field, 12-2. Trystan Sarcone was the beneficiary of the run support in the nightcap as he set career highs of 10 strikeouts over eight innings without a walk for the Big Green (18-14, 9-5 Ivy). Sam Kaplan was a perfect 4-for-4 with two triples and one of four homers for Cornell (9-19, 4-10 Ivy) in the opener, helping the Big Red score their most runs since March 5 and snap Dartmouth's six-game winning streak.

Sarcone (5-2) was on his game from the start, surrendering a lone single over the first four frames. Dartmouth, meanwhile, got to Big Red starter Spencer Edwards in the third, starting with sophomore Tyler Robinson's leadoff single that was misplayed in center field, allowing him to scamper to third. His classmate Tyler Cox singled him home for the game's first run, and Kretzschmar added a sacrifice fly later in the stanza to give the Green a 2-0 lead.

In the fifth, Sarcone gave up his second hit after retiring 11 straight batters, but after a two-out bunt single, he induced a routine grounder to third to end the threat.

Kretzschmar cracked a solo homer to lead off the top of the sixth, his fourth of the year. With two outs and runners on the corners, junior Connor Bertsch was caught off first base by the pitcher. But junior James House took off for the plate, beating the throw for a steal of home and a 4-0 edge.

Cornell turned to the bullpen in the seventh, and the Big Green bats piled on three runs. The first crossed the plate on senior Justin Murray's RBI single, and the other two scored on a wild pitch and a passed ball. In the bottom half, the Big Red dented the scoreboard with a pair of singles, a sacrifice and an infield out.

Dartmouth put to rest any notion the Big Red might have of making a comeback with five more runs in the eighth, all after two were out. Cox doubled, stole third and scored on another Murray RBI single. Kretzschmar drove in another run with a single, House walked to force in a run and Bertsch greeted a reliever by pulling a pitch through the left side for a two-run single.

The final Cornell run came on a solo homer by Kaplan to lead off the bottom of the eighth, his second of the day and fifth of the season.

Kretzschmar finished the game 2-for-2 with a homer, three runs, three RBIs, a walk and hit by pitch. Cox led the Green with three hits — boosting his Ivy-leading average to .421 — and scored three times, while Murray and Bertsch both had two hits and two RBIs.

Edwards (2-6) took the loss for allowing four runs on five hits and four walks over six innings, striking out five.

In the opener, the Big Red put up crooked numbers in the first two innings to take a quick 7-0 lead. Max Jensen started the scoring with a two-run blast to right in the first, his third of the year, and Jason Apostle opened a five-run second with another long ball, his second. The big blow came on Joe Hollerbach's two-run triple, and he trotted home when a balk was called against senior right-hander Nathan Skinner.

Kaplan launched a solo homer in the fourth before Dartmouth responded in the sixth, cutting its 8-0 deficit in half. Murray singled home Robinson, who hit a leadoff triple, and Kretzschmar and junior Kolton Freeman ripped back-to-back RBI doubles as the Big Green bats showed some life. A wild pitch and a grounder to second brought Freeman home, closing the gap to 8-4.

In the bottom half, Kaplan tripled home one run and scored on a sacrifice fly, putting Cornell into double digits and closing the book on Skinner (4-3), who allowed 10 runs over six innings on nine hits and a walk, fanning three.

Nathan Waugh led off the seventh with his fourth home run of the season, and Kaplan tripled (when a double would have given him the cycle) and scored on a Hollerbach double, building the Big Red lead to 12-4.

Dartmouth got RBI doubles from Bertsch and freshman Zacakarie Casebonne, and an RBI single by freshman Elliot Krewson in the ninth, but William Gilbert was summoned from the bullpen and threw one pitch to end the game with a double play.

Luke Yacinich (2-3) hurled seven innings to earn the victory, allowing four runs on five hits to go with three walks and three strikeouts. While Kaplan was going 4-for-4 with four runs and 11 total bases, Hollerbach added three hits and three RBIs, coming a home run shy of the cycle himself.

The two teams will conclude their series on Sunday with a game that will be streamed live on ESPN+ at noon.

Notes: The Big Green's victory today was their 100th against Cornell (100-87-1 all-time) … Kretzschmar has reached base in 24 straight games while Cox extended his streak to 20 … Dartmouth lost ground to Columbia and Penn in the Ivy League standings as both teams swept doubleheaders on Saturday. The Big Green are now three games behind the Lions (12-2) and trail the Quakers by two and a half (11-2).