Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The Cornell baseball team picked up a split of its doubleheader at Columbia on Saturday afternoon, winning the opener, 8-4, before dropping the nightcap, 4-2, at Robertson Field in New York City. Both Cornell and Columbia are now a game out of first place in the Gehrig Division after Princeton picked up a sweep over Penn on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia.

Senior Adam Jacobs provided the offense for the Big Red on Saturday, going 4-for-6 with a double and a triple to drive in one run. Classmate Scott Hardinger was 3-for-7 with a double, while senior Domenic Di Ricco and freshman Frank Hager both hit a home run on the day. Jadd Schmeltzer picked up the win in game one, while Matt Hill took the loss in the nightcap.

Cornell drew first blood in the opener, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the second. Frank Hager led off the inning with a home run to center, and Jacobs tripled home Matt Langseth with two out to stake the Big Red to a 2-0 lead. Columbia responded with four runs in the bottom half of the inning off starter Jadd Schmeltzer, who allowed a pair of two-run home runs in the frame.

The Cornell offense came to his aid in the bottom of the third, scoring another three runs to give the Big Red a lead it would not relinquish. A single by Nathan Ford, a double by Mickey Brodsky and Hager getting hit by a pitch loaded the bases, and Nate David was hit by another pitch, forcing in a run. Matt Langseth then roped a single to center that scored Brodsky and Hager and gave Cornell a 5-4 lead.

From there, it was all Cornell, as Columbia would not advance a runner past second base the rest of the game. Cornell added some insurance in the top of the seventh as Di Ricco roped a three-run home run to right to cap off the scoring. David Rochefort came on to work a perfect seventh inning for his fourth save of the season.

In game two, Cornell saw a quality start from Corey Pappel go to waste, as the sophomore allowed two runs on five hits in six innings, striking out six in the process. Matt Hill took the loss, allowing two runs in 1.2 innings of work as the Lions scored twice in the bottom of the eighth for the win.

After Columbia took a 2-0 lead in the third, Cornell cut the lead to one run in the fifth inning when Brian Billigen knocked home Nate David on a single to left-center. Billigen then tied the game when he drove in Langseth on a groundout to short in the top of the seventh, but a pair of doubles of Hill in the eighth proved to be the difference.

Cornell and Columbia resume the four-game series with a pair of contests on Sunday afternoon at Robertson Field in New York City. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 12 p.m.