Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ITHACA, N.Y. – Senior Chris Cruz had two doubles among his five hits in Tuesday's doubleheader, as the baseball team earned a doubleheader split with Harvard for the fifth consecutive year. The Crimson scratched out a 6-5 victory in 10 innings in the opener before the Big Red rebounded with a 6-2 win in the nightcap at Hoy Field.
 
Cornell (9-9, 2-2 Ivy League) has a quick turnaround for its next action, making the trek to the greater D.C. area for a 2 p.m. Wednesday doubleheader at George Mason.
 
Game 1: HARVARD 6, CORNELL 5 (10 innings) | Box Score | Highlights
Cruz was 3-for-4 and both of his RBI came in the first three innings, when the Big Red built a three-run lead and chased the Crimson's starter by the start of the fourth.
 
Senior Tom D'Alessandro singled up the middle with one out in the first, then came around to open the scoring when Ryan Karl belted a double to the wall in right. Cruz then drove in Karl for the second run with a two-out single to center.

The Big Red manufactured its third run in the third. D'Alessandro, who finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs and a stolen base, worked a leadoff walk and was in motion during a groundout to first, allowing him to advance to second with two out. Cruz followed with a single through the right side, and the Big Red suddenly enjoyed a 3-0 lead.
 
Harvard (5-14, 1-1) got on the board in the top of the fourth, but that was quickly countered by junior Matt Hall's first home run of the season to lead off the bottom of the frame. Hall drove the ball through the wind and over the tallest portion of the fence in left field.
 
But Crimson came back to tie the game with three unearned runs in the fifth, then took the lead with another run in the sixth in a game originally scheduled to go just seven innings.
 
Cornell had one more push left, tying the game in the seventh. Junior JD Whetsel drew a leadoff walk, then moved to second on a groundout. Karl then mashed a triple into the gap in right-center, driving in Whetsel to tie the game at 5.
 
Karl was 2-for-5 with a double, triple and RBI in the game. He also represented the potential winning run at third base with one out in the seventh, but the Crimson worked around a couple of intentional walks to escape the jam. Cruz then hit a two-out triple to once again put the winning run just 90 feet away in the ninth, but Crimson pitcher Tanner Anderson once again came away unscathed.
 
Harvard scored the go-ahead run in the 10th. Carlton Bailey hit a two-out triple to right, then scored on Kyle Larrow's base hit to left-center.
 
Game 2: CORNELL 6, HARVARD 2 | Box Score | Highlights
Cruz hit a three-run double in the third inning to break the game open, and freshman Tiger Smith earned the victory in his first collegiate start.
 
The Big Red plated five runs while batting around in the third – once again chasing the Harvard starting pitcher early on. Senior Ryan Plantier led off with a double to left-center, then came around to score when Ben Swinford's sacrifice bunt drew an errant throw from the fielding pitcher. D'Alessandro later pulled a single through the left side and Karl was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Cruz, who delivered with a double to deep right, scoring all three runners. Cruz then came home on Hall's base hit, giving Cornell a commanding five-run lead.
 
The Crimson got on base each inning against Smith, but the freshman pitcher got inning-ending groundout in each of the first three innings before settling in once given the big lead. The only blemish in the fourth inning came on an infield hit, then Smith induced a 5-4-3 double play to get through the fifth.
 
For the day, Smith scattered five hits in five innings of work, walking two and striking out two while surrendered one run. He had departed the game by the time that run scored after allowing the first two hitters of the sixth to reach base. Freshman Paul Balestrieri emerged from the bullpen and although one inherited runner scored, he struck out the final two batters of the inning to leave two more runners stranded in scoring position and the Big Red still enjoying a 5-1 cushion.
 
Harvard scored its second run in the top of the eighth, but Cornell restored its four-run lead in the bottom of the stanza. In his only at-bat of the day, sophomore Collin McGee led off the Big Red's portion of the inning with a single and later scored on a single to left-center by Plantier.
 
Junior Kellen Urbon closed out the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning, leveling the Big Red's Ivy League record.