Box Score (Game 1 - Columbia 4, Cornell 1)
Box Score (Game 2 - Cornell 7, Columbia 0 - 6 innings)

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell baseball team took on both Columbia and Mother Nature on Sunday, squeezing a pair of games around passing storms, and coming away with a split of the doubleheader. Cornell dropped the opener, 4-1, but rebounded in game two to come away with a 7-0 victory in six innings, in a game that was delayed for over an hour by rain.

Nate David, Mickey Brodsky, Frank Hager, Jadd Schmeltzer and Brian Billigen each had a pair of hits on the day for the Big Red, with Schmeltzer hitting a solo home run in game one. Schmeltzer scored a pair of runs on the day, as five different players picked up a single RBI on the afternoon.

Four Cornell pitchers combined to post a 1.38 earned-run average on the day, with only game one starter Taylor Wood allowing a pair of earned runs in seven innings of work. Brian Billigen got the start in game two and worked three scoreless innings until the game was delayed by rain. Matt Hill then worked a pair of scoreless innings of relief for the win, with David Rochefort also keeping the Lions off the scoreboard in his one inning of action.

Game one was pushed back 90 minutes due to rain which covered most of central New York overnight and in the morning. Finally getting underway shortly after 1:30, Columbia took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Jon Eisen hit an RBI single to right. Schmeltzer's solo home run over the wall in left knotted the score at two after four innings, but the Lions struck for a pair of unearned runs in the fifth to take the lead for good. The game-winning run scored on a quirky play that saw a bunt single turn into a run scoring from first as heads-up baserunning by Columbia's Nick Crucet advanced around the bases with no Cornell players protecting third or home. A throwing error on Frank Hager one batter later plated another Columbia run as the Lions took a 3-1 lead.

Alex Ferrera hit a solo home run in the sixth to extend the Columbia lead, and Columbia's Dan Bracey retired the final 12 Cornell batters in order to earn his fourth win of the season. Wood took the loss, allowing four runs, only two of them earned, on seven hits while striking out four.

Billigen got the starting nod in game two and got into trouble early, allowing a pair of singles to open the contest. Billigen then got a strikeout and a fly out to shallow left field, and a walk loaded the bases, but the sophomore escaped the jam with a swinging strikeout of Ferrera.

Cornell went down in order in the bottom half of the first, but Billigen got out of the second after allowing only a harmless single. In the bottom of the second, Cornell scored three times to take the lead for good. Schmeltzer, Kyle Groth and David each singled, with David picking up an RBI, and Groth scored on a wild pitch to give Cornell a 2-0 lead. Marshall Yanzick then hit a sacrifice fly to left to score David as the Big Red claimed the lead.

The rain, which had been lightly falling throughout most of the afternoon, began to pick up in the third, though Billigen didn't seem phased, as he retired the side in the third on three straight fly-ball outs. Matt Langseth then led off the third with a double, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Groth's sacrifice fly to center. Nate David then walked, but at that point, the game was halted because of the intensity of the rain.

The ensuing rain delay lasted for one hour, 14 minutes, and when play resumed, Hager lined out to left to end the inning. With the length of the delay, Billigen came out and Hill relieved him, allowing only one walk during his two innings of work. Cornell tacked on another three runs in the fourth, as Yanzick led off with a double to left. Mike Lopez then hit into a fielder's choice, and Columbia shortstop Ferrera tried throwing Yanzick out at third. The throw was on time, but third-baseman Jon Eisen dropped the throw on the tag, putting men on the corners with no out. Billigen then singled to right, scoring Yanzick, and Cornell loaded the bases on a walk to Brodsky. Kyle Groth then hit a chopper in the infield, and the Lion pitcher, Eric Williams, missed touching first base on covering the bag, allowing Lopez to score. Williams then tried throwing home to get Billigen, with his throw sailing wide of home plate and caroming off the backstop as the Big Red plated three runs during the inning.

David Rochefort came on to work the sixth for the Big Red, getting out of the inning with runners on second and third by retiring Jason Banos on a fly out to right to end the sixth. After Brodsky made the catch, the umpiring crew called the game on account of darkness, giving Cornell the 7-0 victory after five and a half innings.

Cornell returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Binghamton for a 3 p.m. contest in Vestal, N.Y. The BIg Red returns home for an Ivy League doubleheader against Princeton on Friday at 12 p.m. at Hoy Field.