ALBANY, N.Y. — Senior Brian Billigen was 4-for-6 while pushing his hitting streak to 16 games in Tuesday's doubleheader, and the baseball team surged by Albany for a 5-2 victory in extra innings before the teams played to a 3-3 draw in the nightcap.
 
The Big Red scored four runs in the ninth inning of the opener to ruin a gem from Albany's Aaron Chase, who surrendered just five hits in 8 2/3 innings. Cornell (13-4-1) is now unbeaten in its last five games heading into Saturday's Ivy League-opening doubleheader against Harvard.
 
The second game was called due to darkness after six innings. It was the Big Red's first tie since April 29, 2003, when Cornell tied host Siena, 1-1, after 12 innings before the game was finally called due to darkness.
 
Game 1 – Cornell 5, Albany 2 (9 innings) – Box Score
Billigen had the Big Red's only two hits through the regulation seven innings – a single followed by a stolen base in the first inning, then a solo home run to right-center in the fourth that tied the game at 1. It was Billigen's fourth homer of the season.
 
Cornell surged ahead with six consecutive batters reaching base with two out in the ninth. Senior Frank Hager started the sequence by getting hit by a pitch, then stealing second. A single up the middle from freshman Kevin Tatum drove in Hager to give Cornell a 2-1 lead. Sophomore Ben Swinford then pinch ran for Tatum and advance to third on a base hit by senior catcher Brandon Lee. Freshman Matt Hall then drew a walk to load the bases, setting the stage for sophomore Tom D'Alessandro to hit a two-run single down the left-field line and give the Big Red a 4-1 advantage. Leadoff hitter Brenton Peters then singled to center to plate Hall and cap the visitors' scoring.
 
Senior RIck Marks started for the Big Red, working into the sixth inning with four strikeouts and just one run allowed in the no-decision. Freshman Eric Upton earned his second win of the season by working around a lead-off single to close the door in the eighth. Junior Houston Hawley then entered the game with the bases loaded and no out in the bottom of the ninth. One run scored on a wild pitch, but Hawley struck out the side to earn his first save of the season.
 
Game 2 – Cornell 3, Albany (6 innings) – Box Score
Billigen hit a triple in the fifth inning to drive in Peters, then he scored on sophomore Chris Cruz's sacrifice fly to right to give the Big Red a 3-1 lead. Peters led off the inning with a walk.
 
Albany (5-16-1) struck back with two runs of its own in the bottom half of the frame. After the Great Danes scored their first run of the inning to cut their deficit to one, then had runners on the corners with one out. Summoned from the bullpen again, Hawley induced a groundball to sophomore third baseman Ben Swinford, who threw home to catcher Brandon Lee and cut down the potential tying run. But the next batter singled through the left side, allowing a runner to score from second and tie the game.
 
Cornell took a 1-0 lead in the second inning after Cruz led off with a single through the right side, then advanced to second on Hager's sacrifice bunt. Tatum's infield single to short push Cruz to third, then the sophomore scored on Swinford's groundout.
 
Junior LHP T.J. Parthemer made his first collegiate start, yielding just one single and no runs in the no-decision.