Box Score (PDF)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Senior Paul Balestrieri tossed seven innings without surrendering an earned run, and junior Dale Wickham continued his torrid start at the plate to lead the baseball team to a 8-5 victory over Navy on Sunday in the rubber game of a three-game series at Max Bishop Stadium.
 
Wickham was 3-for-6 on the day with a two-run single in the first inning, then scored one of his two runs in the third inning after leading off with a double. Cornell (2-1) opened a five-run lead after three innings, then junior Trey Baur drove a two-run single into center field in the sixth inning to push the Big Red lead to 7-0.
 
Balestrieri yielded just three hits with no walks in seven innings, with Navy (3-7) only mustering a pair of unearned runs in the sixth. He had four strikeouts.
 
Cornell stranded a total of 15 runners on base on the day, which looked to be an afterthought until Navy staged a late rally. The Mids pushed three runs across in the eighth inning before freshman John Natoli emerged from the bullpen in his first collegiate appearance to record the final out of the frame and keep the score 8-5. He then worked a quiet ninth inning to earn the save.
 
Wickham wrapped up the three-game series with four doubles, five singles and four RBI over his 15 at-bats.
 
Cornell returns to action with another three-game series in the Mid-Atlantic Region next weekend, with single games Friday, Saturday and Sunday at George Mason.