ITHACA, N.Y. – The baseball team battled back from yielding the first four runs in each of its games Saturday to sweep visiting Harvard, 10-8 and 7-4, to stretch its winning streak to a season-high four games and stay alive in the Ivy League playoff race.
 
Senior Ellis Bitar had three hits on the day, extending his streak of successfully reaching base to 25 games – the program's longest since Nathan Ford did so in each of the 2009 season's 40 games. Bitar was one of six Cornell batters with three hits on the day, and junior Will Simoneit and freshman Jason Apostle each had three RBI.
 
Cornell (11-17-1, 6-8 Ivy League) has already assured itself of a second straight Ivy League series victory and will go for its first sweep when the teams wrap up the three-game set Sunday at Hoy Field. First pitch has been moved up to 11 a.m. due to anticipated inclement weather.
 
Game 1: CORNELL 10, HARVARD 8
Apostle drove in three runs and senior Bitar hit a big two-run double in the heart of a four-run sixth inning that pulled the Big Red ahead for good.
 
With the Crimson starting Noah Zavolas – who entered the day leading the Ivy League in victories, ERA and strikeouts – the visitors got a dream start with four runs in the top of the first. Cornell sophomore center fielder Kaleb Lepper then made a huge defensive play to keep the Harvard from extending its lead in the second, gunning down a baserunner trying to score on a single. It was Lepper's fourth outfield assist of the year.
 
The Crimson tacked on another in the third, but the Big Red took advantage of a two-out fielding error in the bottom of the frame. A run scored on the play, then Apostle followed by roping a single through the left side to drive in two more to cut the hosts' deficit to 5-4.
 
Cornell took its first lead with two more unearned runs in the fourth. With runners on first and second and two out, Simoneit stroked a double inside the right-field line to drive in senior Dale Wickham. The throw to second base got away, allowing Bitar to score and stretch the lead to 6-5.
 
Harvard tied the score with a run in the fifth, but Cornell jumped on the Crimson's first reliever for three consecutive singles in the sixth – the last from Wickham to drive in the go-ahead run. Bitar followed with a two-run double and later scored on a sacrifice fly to give Cornell a 10-6 lead.
 
Lead-off singles led to a single run Harvard in both the seventh and eighth innings, but Cornell's bullpen locked down the game. Senior Austin Wahl earned his first victory of the season with a scoreless sixth. Sophomore Andrew Ellison worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth to earn his second save.
 
Game 2: CORNELL 7, HARVARD 4
With the teams combining for six errors, only six of the game's 11 runs were earned. The first two unearned runs came in the second inning, allowing the Crimson to take a 4-0 lead for the second time on the day.
 
But the Big Red quickly responded with seven runs by the fourth to chase the Harvard starter while its own starter, Seth Urbon, ended his seven-inning effort with five straight scoreless frames to even his record at 2-2.
 
Cornell chipped away at the early deficit with two in the second. Simoneit bounced a double over third base to score Bitar, then scored himself on a groundout. Wickham double into gap drove in Gallagher in the third, and the Big Red was suddenly just down by one.
 
The big play came with two out in the fourth, with Krainz lacing a ball to left that was misjudged by the outfielder before sailing over his head for an RBI triple to tie the score. Gallagher followed with a double into left-center to plate Krainz and give Cornell its first lead. Another error allowed Gallagher to score, and Wickham scored the final run on a wild pitch.

Urbon allowed just four baserunners over his final five innings of work. Only two of the four runs he allowed were earned. Sophomore Jeb Bemiss was flawless to earn a six-out save, getting a pair of strikeouts.