Box Score (PDF)

ITHACA, N.Y. — Junior C.J. Price cranked a solo home run to right field in the eighth inning to punctuate the baseball team's three-run frame in a 3-2 victory over Binghamton on Wednesday evening at Hoy Field.

The home run immediately followed an RBI triple by sophomore Ellis Bitar. The drive up the gap in right-center easily plated junior Frankie Padulo from first. The cutoff man opted to throw to third where Bitar slid in safely, but the ball sailed high and bounced out of play. That allowed Bitar to trot home with the tying run. That set the stage for Price, who jacked his third home run of the season and second in just three career games at Hoy Field.
 
Though the teams employed a combined 19 pitchers on the day, the arms largely outplayed the bats in the non-league contest. The Bearcats' Simon Gamache hit a one-out double in the first inning which allowed C.J. Krowiak to score from first and stake Binghamton (11-18) to a 1-0 lead it carried for most of the day.
 
The Bearcats drew three walks in the sixth to load the bases with top hitter Brendan Skidmore pinch hitting. Cornell (9-13) brought junior Paul Balestrieri out of the bullpen, and he induced a grounder to shortstop to end the threat.
 
Binghamton would eventually tack on a second run in the top of the eighth before the Big Red's rally. Bitar had two of Cornell's five hits on the day, giving him nine hits over his last three games. Junior Rob Pannullo earned the victory while tossing an inning in his collegiate debut.
 
Sophomore Justin Lewis then escaped a jam in the ninth inning to earn his team-high third save. Binghamton had two runners on with one out, but Lewis got a groundball to short for the second out and ended the game with a strikeout.
 
Cornell returns to Ivy League play for its next six games — all at home — starting with a four-game Lou Gehrig Division series against Columbia this weekend in the form of noon doubleheaders on both Saturday and Sunday.