Box Score (Cornell 3, Penn 0)
Box Score (Cornell 13, Penn 4)

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Brian Billigen went 4-for-5 with five runs scored on the day as the Cornell baseball team scored its first doubleheader sweep of the season on Monday, defeating Penn by 3-0 and 13-4 margins at Hoy Field. 

Billigen reached base seven of the eight times he came to the plate on the day, walking once and twice being hit by a pitch. In game two, he came within a double of hitting for the cycle, going 3-for-3 with a bunt single, a triple and a home run. Billigen scored four times in the rout over the Quakers, while also driving in a pair.

Not to be overshadowed, the day also featured a pair of strong pitching performances. In the opener, Taylor Wood worked a complete-game four-hit shutout, striking out six and walking one as he picked up his third victory of the season. In game two, Dan Lea got the win in relief, working six innings and allowing one run on four hits with one strikeout.

In the opener, Cornell (9-27, 6-10 Ivy League) jumped out early, getting back-to-back home runs from Mickey Brodsky and Frank Hager to claim a 2-0 lead after one. The Big Red then added to the lead in the third when Brodsky reached on a throwing error, allowing Billigen to score from third with two out. 

That would be all the offense Wood needed, as he only ran into trouble in the fifth inning, as a single, a fielding error in the outfield and the lone walk of the game loaded the bases with one out. But Wood struck out pinch-hitter Mike Mariano and got Greg Zebrack to ground into a fielder's choice to end the threat.

Game two started off much the same way, as Cornell claimed a 1-0 lead in the first when Brodsky hit a sacrifice fly to score Billigen, who was hit by a pitch to lead off the Cornell half of the inning. The Big Red then tacked on four more runs in the second. Tom D'Alessandro reached on a fielder's choice and scored on Brandon Lee's double to the gap in right center. Lee then came home when Billigen lined his eighth home run of the season over the fence in right. Marshall Yanzick, who went 5-for-5 in game two, lined a single inside the bag at third, then moved to second on a wild pitch. Brodsky singled up the middle to score Yanzick from second, and Cornell took a 5-0 lead after two.

Penn (17-19, 8-8 Ivy) would respond in the third, scoring three times off of starter Connor Kaufmann, including a two-run home run by Dan Williams, but the Big Red got back on track in the fourth. Ryan Plantier and Billigen both walked, and Plantier came home on Yanzick's single to center. A walk to Brodsky loaded the bases, and Frank Hager hit into a fielder's choice that recorded the out on Billigen at home. Still with the bases loaded, however, the next two batters - Ben Swinford and Brenton Peters - both drew walks, as Cornell regained the five-run lead, 8-3.

The Big Red would add another four runs in the fifth, stringing together a walk, four straight singles and a sacrifice fly to score a pair. Brodsky drove in two in the inning on a single to right, then came home on Hager's sacrifice fly. 

Cornell scored once more in the seventh when Billigen tripled to the gap in right center and scored on Yanzick's single to right-center. 

Lea came on to start the fourth inning and was strong, allowing only a run in the fifth and retiring the side in order in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to wrap up the contest.

Despite the sweep, Cornell saw its chase for the Ivy League Gehrig Division come to an end, as Princeton also swept Columbia on Monday. With four games remaining in league play, the Big Red trail Princeton by six games, while Columbia is also out of championship contention, standing five games back of the Tigers. Penn's title hopes also took a serious blow, as the Quakers now stand four games back of the Tigers with four league games left to play next weekend.

Cornell returns to action on Tuesday, playing host to Binghamton in a 4 p.m. contest at Hoy Field. Tuesday's contest was originally slated to be played in Binghamton, but the venue was moved to Ithaca due to inplayable field conditions at the Bearcats' home field. In return, the May 4 contest that was scheduled for Ithaca will instead be played at Binghamton.