Box Score (Brown 5, Cornell 2)
Box Score (Cornell 13, Brown 8)

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell offense banged out 18 hits in the two games of a doubleheader to carry the Big Red to a split against Brown on Sunday afternoon at Hoy Field. After dropping the first game by a 5-2 margin, Cornell exploded for a season-best 13 runs in a 13-8 victory in game two, keyed by an eight-run sixth inning.

Brian Billigen and Chris Cruz led the way for the Big Red offense, with both going 3-for-6 on the day. Billigen scored three runs, with Cruz driving in three. Mickey Brodsky chipped in with a 2-for-7 showing with two runs scored and five driven in, including three on a blast over the wall in left in the sixth inning of game two.

On the mound, Corey Pappel got the loss in game one, allowing three earned runs in seven innings on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Anthony Irigoyen picked up the win in relief in the second game, working 1.2 innings and allowing only one unearned run on a hit with a strikeout. Rick Marks worked two innings of scoreless relief to close out the contest, getting a strikeout for five of the final six outs of the game.

Cornell (3-17, 1-3 Ivy League) took the lead in the first inning of game one when Billigen led off the bottom of the first with a double that one-hopped the wall in left, scoring on when Marshall Yanzick was caught stealing second. The Bears would take the lead with a pair of runs in the third, both unearned, as a walk, a sacrifict bunt, and two singles plated a pair of markers to give the Bears the 2-1 lead. Cornell would tie the score in the fourth on Swinford's single to center, followed by an RBI double to right by Cruz.

The score would remain tied at two heading into the seventh when Pappel ran into trouble. A hit-batsman with one out and a single put men on first and second, and Pappel gave up a home run to left to Josh Feit that would ultimately be the difference in the game. The Big Red went down in order in the bottom of the seventh to close out game one.

Game two saw the Big Red again take the early lead, scoring once in both the first and second innings. In the first, Billigen led off with a single, stole second, moved to third on a groundout by Yanzick and scored on a wild pitch. In the second, Frank Hager led off with a walk and moved to third on a smart baserunning play on a sacrifice bunt by Brenton Peters. Phil Mullan then drove in Hager with a single that traveled just 20 feet in front of home plate.

Brown (3-15, 1-3 Ivy) would tie the score in the third with a two-run double, and took the lead in the fifth with four runs in that inning. A leadoff walk, a double and a single scored one run with two men on for Phil Greskoff, who lined a home run over the wall in left to extend the Brown lead to 6-2. The Big Red would respond in the bottom half of the inning, getting three of those runs back. Billigen led off with a walk and Yanzick singled to left to move him to second, and Brodsky lined a double inside the line in left, scoring both runners. Brodsky then came home on Cruz's single to right-center, cutting the deficit to 6-5.

After Brown pushed the lead to 7-5 in the top of the sixth, Cornell's offense erupted in the bottom half of the inning. The Big Red sent 11 men to the plate, scoring eight runs in the inning to claim a 13-7 lead.

Mike Lopez opened up the inning with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch. A single by Yanzick moved him to third with one out, and Brodsky followed with a blast that cleared the batting cages beyond the wall in left. Swinford then walked and scored on Cruz's single that went to the wall in center. Hager drew a walk and both runners moved up on a balk. After Peters struck out for the second out of the inning, Mullan was intentionally walked, and Lopez made the Bears pay with a single to left that got by the left-fielder and rolled all the way to the wall. Lopez moved to third on the play as Cruz, Hager and Mullan all scored. Lopez then came home on Billigen's single to left, but Billigen was caught stealing second to end the inning.

Brown would score one run in the seventh inning, but the Bears could not get any closer. Marks came on to work the eighth and allowed only a single in the eighth inning, striking out the side in the eighth and the first two batters of the ninth before inducing a fly out to center to end the contest.

Cornell closes out the six-game home stand on Wednesday, playing host to Binghamton in a 3 p.m. contest at Hoy Field.