Box Score

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- The Cornell baseball team opened up its trip to Florida for spring break with a 4-3 victory over Northwestern on Sunday morning in Winter Haven, Fla. Brian Billigen went 3-for-4 on the day with a pair of runs scored to lead the Cornell offense. Cornell's second game of the day, scheduled for 1:30 against Ohio State, was called due to inclement weather in the Winter Haven area.

Sophomore shortstop Marshall Yanzick drove in a pair of runs on his first career home run in the first inning. Juniors Mickey Brodsky and Jadd Schmeltzer both had a hit on the afternoon, with Schmeltzer driving in a run on his double in the fourth inning. Sophomore catcher Brandon Lee also had a base knock on the afternoon.

Junior Corey Pappel got the start and worked six innings of five-hit ball, allowing a pair of runs while striking out nine. Pappel was efficient in his work, getting eight ground ball outs with just one fly out on the day. Matt Hill worked a pair of innings of relief, allowing one run on two hits with two strikeouts, and senior closer David Rochefort got his first save of the season in working a scoreless ninth.

Cornell got on the board first, scoring a pair of runs when Billigen doubled to lead off the bottom half of the inning and Yanzick slammed him home with his first career home run. The Wildcats would tie the score with a pair of their own in the top of the second, but Cornell would move ahead in the fourth when Kyle Groth drew a one-out walk and scored on Schmeltzer's two-out double.

The Wildcats again tied the score in the seventh. Hill came on to relieve Pappel at the beginning of the inning, and got into trouble with two outs. Hill gave up a double and a triple back-to-back, then walked the next two batters, but got out of the jam with a strikeout to end the inning. The Big Red offense picked him up in the bottom half of the seventh, as Billigen led off the frame with a triple and scored on Brodsky's one-out single.

Hill got out of the eighth with a 6-4-3 ground ball double play, and Rochefort got into a jam in the ninth. After an error on second-baseman Matt Langseth allowed the leadoff runner to reach, a pair of walks moved the tying run just 90 feet away with one out. Northwestern's second-baseman hit a fly ball to center that was caught by Nate David, and his throw to the plate for the tagging Stevens was on the money, ending the game on the play at the plate.

Cornell will next take on the Wildcats on Monday at 11 a.m.