COLUMBIA, Md. – Junior Joe Hollerbach was 3-for-5 with his first home run of the season, senior Luke Yacinich didn't allow a run through the first six innings of his start, then the Cornell baseball team held off a late Coppin State rally for a 11-7 victory on Saturday at Blandair Park.
 
Cornell (1-3) led 8-0 at stretch time before Coppin State (2-7) scratched its way back to within one after eight. The Big Red plated three more in the ninth to ride out its first victory of the young season.
 
Senior Austin Flematti was 3-for-6, with two of those hits leading off big innings. The first came In the form of a double in the four-run second inning, which also featured the first of two triples on the day from junior Ryan Ross.
 
Junior Sam Kaplan drove in the Big Red's fifth run with a double in the sixth, then freshman Ryan Porter's bases-loaded walk and junior Wils Guy's two-run single pushed Cornell's lead to eight runs.
 
All the while, Yacinich was on his way to the longest start of his collegiate career. He struck out eight before being removed with two outs in the seventh following a two-run single to get Coppin on the board. The Eagles then got within one following Elmir Perez's three-run homer in the eighth.
 
Cornell restored some cushion with three more runs in the ninth, spearheaded by Ross' second triple – which drove in a run, then led to his own trip home after a throwing error.
 
Coppin got a couple runners on in the ninth, but never got the tying run to the plate before sophomore Braden Mack closed the game out.
 
The game was the first of two on the day at Blandair Park, but the lights at the field went out during the top of the ninth inning of the night cap. That led to a suspension of play until 11 a.m. Sunday, with the Big Red holding a 12-5 lead. The teams will then follow the completion of that game with the series finale. Senior Kevin Cushing is scheduled to start for the Big Red.