PHILADELPHIA – Freshman Josh Arndt had his first career three-hit game and junior Peter Lannoo tossed the baseball team's first nine-inning complete game since 2004 in a Saturday split against Penn. The Big Red lost the opener at Meiklejohn Stadium, 13-2, before surging to a 7-4 win in the night cap.
 
With Gehrig Division leader Princeton also splitting a doubleheader Saturday at Columbia, Penn (16-19, 7-7 Ivy League) remains three games back in the standings and Cornell (13-17, 6-8) four off the pace with just six games remaining in league play.
 
Cornell and Penn will complete the four-game series with another doubleheader starting at noon Sunday.
 
Game 1: PENN 13, CORNELL 2 (Box Score)
The Big Red struck in the first inning, but it was all Penn from there. Junior C.J. Price was in motion from first when junior Cole Rutherford stroked a double to left field, and Price scored when the outfielder's throw home drifted well into foul territory.
 
Penn responded with a two-run home run from Matt O'Neill in the second inning, but Cornell's defense kept the game close for the next few frames. Sophomore catcher Ellis Bitar ended the second inning by picking off a Penn runner from first base, then he gunned down the speedy Gary Tesch attempting to steal second base in the third.
 
Runners were on the corners with two outs later in the third when a blooper along the line in shallow right threatened to plate at least one more run, but senior second baseman Eliot Lowell ranged over to make a diving catch to retire the side and keep the Big Red's deficit just one run halfway through.
 
But the Quakers scored three more runs in the fourth inning, all with two outs. Cornell scratched out another run in the fifth when senior Jordan Winawer singled, advanced to second on a wild pitch, moved up to third on a groundout, and scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Price. That made the score 5-2, but Penn blew the game open with eight more runs in the fifth.
 
Price finished the game 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI. Rutherford was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Penn's Jake Cousins fanned 11 through six innings to earn the victory.
 
Game 2: CORNELL 7, PENN 4 (Box Score)
Arndt was 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles, two RBIs and a stolen base for his first career multi-hit game, and the Big Red tagged Quakers relievers for six of its seven runs.
 
After the Big Red rallied to tie the game at 3 in the top of the seventh, the Quakers took the lead again on Tim Graul's league-leading sixth home run of the season in the bottom of the inning.
 
Working against the heart of Penn's bullpen, Cornell surged ahead with four runs in the eighth. Price led off with a single into shallow center, then freshman Mark Fraser hit an RBI double off the wall in left-center to plate Price and tie the game. Winawer then pinch ran for Fraser and alertly advanced on a groundout to put the go-ahead run on third with just one out.
 
Penn turned to freshman closer Jake Nelson, who entered the day leading the Ivy League with five saves. But sophomore Dale Wickham greeted him with a towering shot to straight-away center field that easily scored Winawer. Cornell contended the ball cleared the tall batter's-eye wall, but the umpires disagreed and Wickham was credited with a triple. He later scored on Arndt's third hit of the game, and Arndt scored on sophomore Griffin Tutun's first collegiate RBI.
 
Meanwhile, for a second straight start, Lannoo settled down after surrendering multiple runs in the first inning — though Penn's two runs in this one were both unearned. Arndt then drove in sophomore Dale Wickham from second with a one-out double in the second inning to cut the Big Red's deficit to 2-1.
 
The drama ratcheted up in the sixth inning. Bitar was a hit by a pitch, then Fraser and Rutherford hit back-to-back one-out singles to load the bases. Penn opted to pull its starter, Gabe Kleiman, who entered the day tied for the league lead in ERA. Fellow lefty Adam Bleday came on in relief and got out of the jam on one pitch, when a check-swing grounder bounded perfectly for the Quakers' shortstop to easily collect, step on second and throw on to first for a double play.
 
Penn threatened to break the game open in the bottom half of the inning. A hit-by-pitch was followed by three straight singles to push the Quakers' lead to 3-1 with the bases loaded and one out. Lannoo rallied by getting a huge swinging strikeout for the second out, then Price, the catcher, picked off the runner at third base after a failed bunt attempt to end the inning.
 
Junior Frankie Padulo led off the seventh with a double, which was misplayed by Penn's right fielder as the shadows grew longer off the power plant that looms down the stadium's first-base line. Arndt walked and Tutun pushed the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt. Freshman Parker Morris plated Padulo with Cornell's second run on a sacrifice fly, then Bitar singled to left to bring home Arndt and tie the game at 3.
 
Lannoo finished the day with a flourish, striking out the side in the ninth to run his strikeout total for the outing to a career-high eight. It's the third consecutive start in which Lannoo lasted at seven innings. It was also the first nine-inning complete game by a Cornell pitcher since April 17, 2004, which also was at Penn when Luke Staskal went the distance in a 9-2 victory.