ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Junior Dale Wickham pounded out six hits in the baseball team's season-opening doubleheader Saturday at Navy, with the teams splitting the games after a bizarre walk-off in the night cap.
 
Cornell (1-1) batted around in the first inning and used a solid start from senior Tim Willittes to win the opener, 5-2, against the defending Patriot League champions at Max Bishop Stadium. Navy (3-6) scored two unearned runs in the ninth inning to win the second game, 8-7, despite Wickham's first career four-hit game.
 
The three-game series is slated to conclude at noon Sunday.
 
Game 1: CORNELL 5, NAVY 2 (Box Score)
Freshman Kaleb Lepper led off the game with a base hit in his first collegiate at-bat, starting a string of four consecutive singles to start the game off Navy starter Noah Song — the reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year. The Big Red plated the last of four runs in the inning on a double down the line in left from sophomore Mitch Blackstone, marking his first collegiate hit. Cornell had a rare four strikeouts in the inning (one batter reached when the third strike was a wild pitch).
 
The Big Red expanded its lead to 5-0 in the second inning after Lepper delivered another lead-off single. He advanced to second on a failed pickoff and scored on a two-out double from Wickham.
 
Armed with a big lead, Willittes pitched to contact and kept the Midshipmen at bay with just one strikeout in 5.2 innings of work. Navy cut its deficit to three runs with a double in the fifth inning, but Willittes induced a pair of groundout to minimize the damage.
 
Freshman Jeb Bemiss earned the save in his first collegiate appearance, working around a leadoff double in the seventh to record the final four outs without surrendering a run.
 
Game 2: NAVY 8, CORNELL 7 (Box Score)
The Big Red scored all seven of its runs in the final four innings to take a one-run lead into the bottom of the ninth, but Navy ultimately prevailed with two runs scoring a strange play with two outs.
 
A leadoff walk was followed by a bunt single, putting the winning run on base. Junior catcher Ellis Bitar then cut down a runner trying to advance to third on yet another bunt for the first out. After an infield pop-up brought Cornell to within one out of the win, the Mids boldly executed a double steal to push the tying run to third and winning run to second. Adrian Chinnery then hit a ball down the line that the Big Red third baseman snagged with a diving stop, but his throw pulled the first baseman off the bag. That led to a collision with Chinnery that sent the ball flying out of the first baseman's glove, leaving the running safe at first and allowing both runners to score and give Navy the victory.
 
The result overshowed some standout efforts from the Big Red. Wickham — who set a program record with three homes run in a game on the final day of the 2016 season — hit a double in ninth inning for his fourth hit of the game to follow senior Tommy Wagner's leadoff single. Junior Trey Baur then stroked a single to right to score both runners and give the Big Red a 7-6 lead.
 
Senior Cole Rutherford finished the game with three RBI, including a two-run double in the seventh inning. Junior Ryan Krainz also had a pair of singles and stolen bases.
 
On the mound, junior starter Justin Lewis fanned 10 through 4.2 innings in a no-decision. It was a career high in strikeouts for Lewis, and it marked the first 10-strikeout outing for a Cornell pitcher since Willitties last March.