Box Score Box Score
 
ITHACA, N.Y. – The baseball team rallied from four runs down to tie its Wednesday game against Binghamton before eventually dropping an 8-6 decision at Hoy Field. Junior Ryan Karl was 2-for-4 with a two-run double for the Big Red, which dropped its ninth straight.
 
The game was scoreless through the halfway mark, with the Big Red breaking the ice in the fifth. Senior Ben Swinford and junior Kevin Tatum hit doubles on back-to-back pitches, plating Swinford to spot freshman starter Tim Willittes a one-run lead.
 
But Binghamton stormed back with five runs in the sixth, with four of the runs unearned because of a pair of errors.
 
Cornell (15-20) answered right back to cut its deficit to 5-4 with three runs in the sixth. Junior JD Whetsel was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, stole second, then moved up to third on a groundout. After senior Chris Cruz drew a walk, senior Ryan Plantier laced a single into left to drive in Whetsel. Karl then stepped to the plate and smacked a double into the gap in right-center, scoring two more runs.
 
That set the stage for the Big Red to tie the game in the seventh on a bizarre play. After a walk and a stolen base, sophomore Jordan Winawer was on second base when senior Tom D'Alessandro lined a base hit into left. With head coach Bill Walkenbach aggressively waving Winawer around third, the ball got by the hurrying Bearcats' left fielder. Winawer scored easily, and D'Alessandro took two bases on the error. But he was also waved around third before being thrown out at the plate while trying to give the home side the lead.
 
Binghamton (13-19) then took the lead for good with two more runs in the eighth. Cornell cut its deficit to 7-6 with Swinford driving in pinch runner Dan Morris with a one-out single in the bottom of the frame, but the Bearcats added another insurance run in the top of the ninth.
 
D'Alessandro and Cruz hit a pair of two-out singles in the bottom of the ninth to bring the winning run to the plate. Freshman Jamie Smith, who had just entered the game earlier in the inning, then put a charge into the ball only to have the Binghamton right fielder make the game-ending catch on the warning track.
 
Cornell returns to action Friday, when it plays its final home games in the form of a noon doubleheader against Ivy League Lou Gehrig Division rival Princeton at Hoy Field.