Baseball Clinches Series at Cornell by Rallying From Five-Run Deficit

Sunday, April 24

Ithaca, N.Y. / Hoy Field

12:00 PM

Dartmouth College

19-14, 10-5

Cornell

9-20, 4-11

Dartmouth

Cornell

Cole Roland baseball action versus Brown

Cole Roland picked up the victory after yielding one earned run over five innings of relief.

Photo by: Doug Austin

Baseball Clinches Series at Cornell by Rallying From Five-Run Deficit

4/24/2022 4:20:00 PM | Baseball

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The bullpen allowed one earned run over seven innings to allow the offense to mount their largest comeback in five years

By: Rick Bender

ITHACA, N.Y. — Trailing by a 7-2 score in the fifth, the Dartmouth baseball team tied the score with five runs in the fifth, then completed the comeback with solitary runs in the eighth and ninth innings to clinch the three-game series at Cornell on Sunday afternoon with a 10-8 triumph. Four players collected four hits and junior Connor Bertsch drove in three with his fifth home run of the season to propel the Big Green (19-14, 10-5 Ivy) to their eighth victory in the last nine games and largest deficit overcome in five years. Cornell, meanwhile, dropped to 9-20 on the season and 4-11 in the Ivy League.

Senior Cole Roland (2-1) earned the win on the mound after throwing a career-high five innings of relief while surrendering just one earned run (four in all) on four hits and two walks, plus he matched a personal best with six strikeouts. Junior Jack Metzger held the Big Red scoreless for the final two innings to earn his Ivy League-leading fifth save.

Dartmouth had fallen behind by a 4-0 count after three innings before sophomore Max Zajec crushed a 2-0 pitch over the fence in right field with one down in the fourth for his first collegiate home run. Sophomore Tyler Cox later produced an RBI single in the stanza, driving in sophomore Nathan Cmeyla who had singled and taken second on a sacrifice bunt.

A dropped fly ball with two outs in the bottom half, however, turned into a four-base error that allowed three runs to score, increasing the Cornell lead to five runs at 7-2. The miscue did not deter the Big Green as seniors Justin Murray and Kade Kretzschmar started the fifth with back-to-back doubles, junior Kolton Freeman drew one of his three walks on the day and Bertsch sent a 2-2 pitch just over the fence in right-center for his three-run shot, suddenly closing the gap to one run at 7-6. But Dartmouth wasn't done, loading the bases on an infield single by Cmeyla, double by Cox and a walk to freshman Elliot Krewson before Murray beat out an infield hit for his second hit of the inning and tie the score at seven.

In the sixth, Freeman walked and came all the way around to score the go-ahead run when Zajec hit a sinking line drive that the center fielder dove for and missed, allowing the ball to roll to the fence. Zajec went for the inside-the-park home run, but Cornell recovered and pulled off a perfect relay throw to the plate to gun him down.

The Big Red tied the score at eight in the seventh when Sam Kaplan led off the inning with his third home run of the series and sixth of the season. That was all they would get, though, as Roland set down the next three hitters in order.

Dartmouth reclaimed the lead in the eighth thanks to some Cornell wildness. Kretzschmar walked and stole second, but was still there with two down. Zajec then watched ball four go to the backstop, sending Kretzschmar to third, and Cmeyla did the same, allowing Kretzschmar to score for a 9-8 lead.

Kretzschmar drove in an insurance run in the ninth with a single, and Metzger retired six of the seven batters he faced in the eighth and ninth to close out the win.

Zajec finished the day a double shy of the cycle, going 3-for-5 with a run and two RBIs. Murray, Kretzschmar and Cmeyla joined him with three hits apiece as Dartmouth had 16 for the game.

Kevin Cushing (2-4) took the loss despite not giving up a hit in two innings, but three walks and two wild pitches that led to the one run he surrendered proved costly. Ryan Porter led the 11-hit attack for the Big Red by going 3-for-5 with two RBIs.

Dartmouth returns to Hanover on Tuesday for a non-conference game against Holy Cross (12-32) that will be streamed on ESPN+ at 3 p.m. Wayne Young '72 and Brett Franklin will call the action on the broadcast.

Notes: The last comeback from a five-run deficit was against the University of Chicago on March 21, 2017, trailing 7-2 in the second before rallying for a 19-11 victory … in seven of the eight wins during the last nine contests, Dartmouth has scored at least 10 runs … two of Murray's three hits were doubles, giving him an Ivy-leading 16 on the season … Cox added to his league-leading hit total with two more, giving him 58, though his average did fall a point to .420, which remains the best in the Ancient Eight … Kretzschmar has hit safely in a career-high 11 straight games and reached base for the 25th straight contest, the longest streak by a Big Green player since Jim Wren '10 had a streak of 27 games in 2009.