Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Behind the right arm of sophomore pitcher Corey Pappel, the Cornell baseball team garnered a much-needed split against Princeton on Friday afternoon in Princeton, N.J. The Big Red dropped the first game, 2-0, before riding an outstanding start from Pappel in game two for a 4-1 victory.

The Big Red and Tigers remain tied atop the Ivy League Gehrig Division standings, with both teams sporting identical 9-9 records in league play. Cornell moved to 14-20 overall with the split, while Princeton is now 17-17 on the year.

Cornell also had a quality start from Jadd Schmeltzer in game one, as he went the distance, allowing just three hits and five walks while striking out five. Of the three hits, though, one was a solo home run to Princeton's Brian Berkowitz in the second inning, the run that would prove to be the difference in the contest.

Cornell was not without chances in the opener, though. The Big Red stranded runners on third base three times, including in both the sixth and seventh innings, as Cornell left the bases loaded in the sixth and had runners at second and third in the seventh. Princeton starter David Hale was outstanding, scattering four hits and five walks over 6.1 innings while fanning 10 Big Red hitters for his second win of the season. Matt Grabowski got the final two outs for his second save of the year.

In game two, Pappel was brilliant, allowing just three hits over eight innings, walking three and striking out nine Tigers. He allowed just one run in the game, an RBI single in the fifth inning. Junior David Rochefort came on in the ninth for his seventh save of the year, setting a new Cornell record for most saves in a season.

Game two opened up as a similar pitchers' duel, as both teams were scoreless through four innings. In the fifth, the Big Red got on the board as Nate David led off with a double to left-center, moved to third on Matt Langseth's sacrifice bunt and scored on a sacrifice fly from Adam Jacobs.

Princeton tied the score in the bottom half of the inning with Adrien Turnham scoring on Derek Beckman's infield single, but the Big Red broke the game open in the sixth. With one out, Mickey Brodsky singled and stole second, a sequence that was followed by a walk to Frank Hager. Domenic Di Ricco then tagged the first pitch he saw over the wall in right, staking the Big Red to a 4-1 lead, a lead that it would not let up.

From there, it was all Pappel, as the sophomore allowed just one hit over his final three innings, setting the Tigers down in order in the sixth and eighth innings, including striking out four over the final three innings.

Nate David and Brian Billigen provided the offensive punch in game two, with both players collecting three hits as Cornell tagged Tiger pitching for 10 hits. Brad Gemberling took the loss, working 7.2 innings and allowing nine hits and four runs while striking out 13 Cornell batters.

The two teams close out the series on Sunday at Cornell's Hoy Field. A sweep of the doubleheader would give either team the Ivy League Gehrig Division title, while a split would require a single, nine-inning playoff game on Wednesday to decide the division's representative in the league playoff series next weekend.