ITHACA, N.Y. – The Cornell baseball team's bats were alive in the first half of Saturday's doubleheader at Hoy Field, as the Big Red belted four home runs to power it to a 12-7 victory over Ivy League rival Dartmouth. The Big Red couldn't keep the offensive surge going in game two, falling to Dartmouth 12-2. With the split, Cornell's record moves to 9-19 (4-10 Ivy) and Dartmouth to 18-14 (9-5 Ivy).

Cornell's Sam Kaplan had a career day at the plate, going 5-for-7 across the two games with two home runs, two triples, five runs, and three runs batted in. Trystan Sarcone was terrific on the mound for the Big Green in game two, tossing 8.0 innings, scattering six hits while allowing only two runs and striking out 10.

GAME 1
Cornell got out to an early lead thanks to a two-run homer off the bat of Max Jensen in the first. The Big Red continued to rake at the plate the following two innings, scoring six more runs off a solo shot from Jason Apostle, an RBI single from Ryan Porter, a two-run triple by Joe Hollerbach, a solo home run from Kaplan, and a Dartmouth balk with a runner on third base to make it 8-0 Cornell after four innings.

The Big Green put a dent in Cornell's lead in the sixth, scoring four runs off a pair of RBI doubles, a run-scoring single, and an RBI groundout. Cornell answered back, tacking on four insurance runs across the next three innings to push its lead to 12-4 after eight innings. Dartmouth's ninth-inning comeback attempt fell short, and the Big Red took the game 12-7.

Sam Kaplan was 4-for-4 in game one, notching a single, two triples, and the big solo shot in the fourth, coming up just short of hitting for the cycle. Hollerbach drove in three off three hits, with Jensen and Apostle also contributing multi-hit games. Luke Yacinich picked up the win for the Big Red on the mound, delivering 7.0 strong innings, allowing four runs and striking out three.

GAME 2
Trystan Sarcone dazzled on the mound in game two for Dartmouth, holding the Big Red to 2 runs and 6 hits. Sarcone pounded the strike zone early and often, tossing 78 of his 100 pitches for strikes.

The Big Green got out to a 2-0 lead after three,and never looked back. Dartmouth added two more runs in the second and three more in the seventh, pushing its lead to 7-0 while Sarcone dealt.

Cornell's offense showed signs of life in the seventh, pushing across a run on a Lachlan Charles RBI groundout.

A four-run Dartmouth eighth inning increased its lead to 12-1, all but pushing the game out of reach for the Big Red. Kaplan smashed a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth, but it was not enough to overcome the massive deficit as Cornell fell 12-2.

The series' rubber match is set for noon on Sunday, April 24th at Hoy Field.