Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ITHACA, N.Y. – Junior Ryan Karl was 3-for-3 with a three-run home run in the opener, then sophomore Jordan Winawer was 3-for-3 with a double and two stolen bases in the night cap in the baseball's team doubleheader sweep of Princeton, 6-4 and 4-2, on Friday at Hoy Field.
 
Junior starters Kellen Urbon and Nick Busto earned the victories, and freshman Paul Balestrieri turned in a rare two-save day for the Big Red by closing out each game. The victories ended a nine-game losing streak for Cornell (17-20, 8-10 Ivy League) and moved it into sole possession of third place in the Lou Gehrig Division – one game ahead of Princeton. The Big Red and Tigers conclude their four-game series with a noon doubleheader Sunday at Princeton.
 
Game 1: CORNELL 6, PRINCETON 4 | Box Score | Highlights
The Big Red jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first inning, capped by Karl's towering home run over the right-field wall. It was his team-leading seventh home run of the season. Senior Ryan Plantier drove in the first run with a two-out single just before Karl's at-bat.
 
Making his second start of the season, Urbon kept the Big Red out in front until Matt Horton emerged from the bullpen in the sixth inning. The Tigers got on the board with two runs in the fifth. Urbon then escaped the jam by snagging a line drive by Alec Keller, the Ivy League's second-leading hitter, for the third out.
 
Horton inherited two runners in the sixth, with one coming in to score to cut the Big Red's lead to 4-3. But the lefty reliever induced a flyout to retire the side with the go-ahead run on first base.
 
Junior Matt Hall then gave the Big Red some insurance with two-out, two-run double down the line in the bottom of the inning. The Tigers got one run back in the seventh before Balestrieri was called upon to get the game's final out. Senior shortstop Tom D'Alessandro made a spectacular play, diving to snag a ball into the hole by cleanup hitter Paul Tupper before gaining his feet and recording the out at first base.
 
Game 2: CORNELL 4, PRINCETON 2 | Box Score | Highlights
The Big Red used a three-run rally with two outs in sixth inning to erase a 2-1 deficit. Freshman Tommy Wagner drew a leadoff walk in the sixth, then came around to score on Winawer's double to right-center with two outs.
 
Junior JD Whetsel followed with a triple to wall in left-center. Not only did that score Winawer with the go-ahead run, but Whetsel came around to score himself when the relay throw from the shortstop sailed into the netting over the backstop behind home plate.
 
The Tigers didn't retire Winawer in any of his five plate appearances. He opened the scoring after leading off with a perfectly placed bunt single to the second baseman. After advancing to second base on a wild pitch, he alertly took third on a flyout to in right field's foul territory. Plantier then drove Winawer in with an infield hit. Winawer also had walks in the second and eighth innings, poked a single into right field in the fifth, and had the run-scoring double in the sixth.  
 
Meanwhile, Busto had his best start of the season to make the lead stick. He stranded runners in scoring position in each of his final two innings of work, going seven innings for just the second time this year. He scattered six hits, yielded two runs (one earned) while fanning six and issuing no walks.
 
Balestrieri then set down the final six batters in order to lock down his second save.