WEST HAVEN, Conn. — A sixth-inning grand slam by junior infielder Matt Barnhorst helped aid the Cornell baseball team to a 5-3 victory over Yale in its Ivy League-opening contest at George H.W. Bush '48 Field on Friday afternoon.

Along with the timely home run by Barnhorst, strong relief outings by senior left-hander Spencer Edwards and freshman right-hander Carson Mayfield helped preserve the Big Red's two-run lead.

Edwards was the winning pitcher for the Big Red (1-12) after he pitched three innings of relief for Cornell's starting pitcher, freshman Ethan Hamill. Mayfield earned the save after he logged the final 1.2 innings on the mound.

Colton Shaw was the losing pitcher of record for Yale (4-11) after he allowed five runs on six hits in 5.1 innings of work, even though he struck out nine Big Red batters in his outing.

The contest opened in a pitcher's duel, as both starting pitchers retired nine of the first 11 batters they faced.

Cornell threatened to score the first run of the game in the top of the fourth when it had runners at the corners with two outs, but Shaw was able to strikeout Barnhorst to evade danger.

Yale ended up scoring the first two runs of the game in the home-half of the fourth when Jimmy Chatfield hit his team-leading third home run — a two-run shot to left field — after Jeff Pierantoni opened the frame with a leadoff single.

Sophomore outfielder Jakobi Davis opened the fifth with a leadoff walk before he stole second and third bases. The pair of steals proved to be crucial for Cornell as Davis' classmate, John Quinlan, drove him home on a sacrifice fly to center field, trimming the deficit in half.

Pierantoni brought Yale's lead back to two with a one-out RBI single in the bottom of the fifth.

All nine Cornell batters came up to the plate in the sixth. After a strikeout led off the inning, junior Nathan Waugh was hit by a pitch and singles by seniors Sam Kaplan and Joe Hollerbach forced runners on base to advance just 90 feet.

With the bases loaded, Barnhorst made a two-run deficit into a two-run lead when he hit a 2-1 pitch over the left field wall to give the Big Red the advantage.

Edwards played a key role in keeping the two-run lead for the Big Red as he retired eight consecutive batters after allowing a base hit to the first batter he faced in the fifth.

Mayfield slammed the door on any potential Yale rally as he induced a double play to end the eighth and a two-out walk in the ninth did no harm for Cornell.

Game Notes

• Cornell and Yale played for the 187th time on Friday, as the Big Red improved to 77-110 against its Ivy League rival. With the win, Cornell has won three of the last four meetings against the Bulldogs.

• The Big Red is 1-0 in Ivy League play for the first time since winning the opening game of a doubleheader against Princeton, 5-2, on March 31, 2018.

• Barnhorst's grand slam was Cornell's first since Ryan Ross hit one against Maryland on March 12, 2022. His four RBI are the most by a Big Red batter this season.

• Davis' three stolen bases was the first time a Big Red player swiped three bases in a game since Ryan Porter against Dartmouth on April 24, 2022.

• Hollerbach recorded his first multi-hit performance of the season, increasing his career total to 15.

Looking Ahead

Cornell will conclude its three-game series with Yale on Sunday when it plays a doubleheader against the Bulldogs at George H.W. Bush '48 Field. First pitch for the opening game of the twin bill is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.