Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell baseball team picked up a split of a doubleheader against Penn on Saturday, taking the opener by a 12-5 margin before falling, 6-3, in the nightcap. The Big Red moves to 6-17 on the year and 3-7 in Ivy League play, while Penn moves to 11-17 overall and 1-9 in league action.

Mickey Brodsky led the offense for the Big Red on Saturday, going 4-for-7 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and five driven in. Scott Hardinger and Nathan Ford also continued their hot-hitting ways, with Hardinger going 4-for-8 with three runs scored and two RBI and Ford going 3-for-6 with a pair of runs and one RBI. On the mound for the Big Red, Corey Pappel was solid in relief in game two, working six scoreless innings, and allowing just three hits while fanning seven.

Cornell jumped all over Penn starter Todd Roth in the first inning of game one, tagging him for eight runs as the Big Red sent 13 men to the plate to open the day. Each of the first four hitters - and five of the first six - singled off Roth, with seven of the first eight reaching base safely. Brian Billigen, who led off the game with a single, also had a two-run single to left with two out as the Big Red put eight runs on the board.

The Big Red added a run in the second as Jadd Schmeltzer doubled to right and moved to third on a failed pick-off attempt by Roth. Schmeltzer then scored on Domenic Di Ricco's RBI groundout, making the score 9-0. After Penn got on the board in the third inning with an RBI double to right by James Mraz, Cornell added a pair of runs in the bottom half of the third, with Billigen and Hardinger coming around to score in the inning.

Penn added two runs in the fourth on a two-out, two-run single to right by Adrian Lorenzo off of Cornell starter Jadd Schmeltzer. Penn added a run in the top half of the sixth on a single to left by Jeff Cellucci, but the Big Red got the run back in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI single to center by Adam Jacobs, scoring Di Ricco and making the score 12-4.

Penn threatened again in the seventh as Schmeltzer appeared to start to tire, putting men on second and third with one out. Dan Lea came on in relief and induced a sacrifice fly and struck out Derek Vigoa to end the game.

Schmeltzer finished the game allowing four earned runs on nine hits and four walks while striking out eight. Roth took the loss for the Quakers, surrendering 12 runs, seven of them earned, on 15 hits and four walks while striking out nine.

In game two, the Quakers turned the tables on the Big Red, scoring four times in the top half of the first inning to take a 4-0 lead. Each of the first four batters to face Cornell starter Matt Hill reached, as Hill allowed a pair of singles and a pair of doubles, including a two-run double to right-center by Jeremy Maas. Penn added a run in the second on Vigoa's solo home run over the wall in left, and tacked on a sixth run in the third inning. Maas led off with a single and moved to second on an error by Hardinger. The Quakers then loaded the bases when William Gordon reached on an error by Cornell's Matt Langseth, with Mike Mariano hitting a sacrifice fly to center to score Maas. Cornell would get out of the inning without any more damage done, as Hill got a groundout to first and a foul out to close out the inning.

While Penn opened the game strong, Quaker pitcher Chris McNulty opened just as solidly, retiring each of the first 11 Cornell batters, racking up four strikeouts over that span. Cornell finally broke through in the fourth inning when Nathan Ford hit a two-out double over the head of the center fielder Lorenzo. The Big Red then got on the board when Brodsky hit a towering shot that carried over the wall in left-center for his second home run of the season.

After Penn's Lorenzo reached on a single to right to open the fourth, Hill was lifted in favor of Pappel, who got the Big Red out of danger in the fourth. Cornell's offense then tried to get back into the game, as Hardinger singled with one out in the sixth and moved to second on a wild pitch. He then took third on Nathan Ford's single to center and scored when Brodsky hit into a fielder's choice. Cornell could not close the gap any farther, hitting into a pair of double plays over the final three innings.

Hill took the loss, allowing six runs, five of them earned, on eight hits in three innings. Pappel worked six innings of scoreless relief, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out seven. McNulty got the win for the Quakers, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out seven.

The two teams will go at it again on Sunday in another doubleheader at Hoy Field. First pitch of game one is scheduled for noon.