WEST HAVEN, Conn. — Freshman left-handed pitcher Noah Keller shined in the rubber match of Cornell baseball's three-game series with Yale, recording his first collegiate win to aid the Big Red to a series victory over the Bulldogs.

Yale (5-12, 1-2 Ivy) won the opening game of Sunday's twin bill, 12-2, after the Bulldogs used an eight-run first inning to distance themselves early on.

Keller, who garnered his first collegiate quality start, and fellow freshman pitcher Carson Mayfield stymied Yale's offense in the nightcap as Cornell pounded out 12 hits en route to a 7-5 triumph. Sophomore Ryan Porter earned the save for the Big Red (2-13, 2-1 Ivy).

The series victory for Cornell marks the second consecutive season the Big Red has taken two of three games from Yale. Last year, Cornell swept an April 2 doubleheader at Hoy Field before falling in the series finale on April 3.

Game One Recap

Yale chased Cornell starting pitcher Von Baker early, forcing the Big Red to make a call to the bullpen in the first inning. The first five Bulldog batters reached base safely without logging a base hit, drawing three walks and being hit by a pair of pitches. In total, 13 Bulldog batters came up to bat in the frame in which Yale plated eight runs on just three hits.

The Bulldogs further increased its lead by scoring four additional runs over the next five innings to increase its string of unanswered runs to 12.

Sophomore outfielder Jakobi Davis drove in Cornell's first run of the game with a seventh-inning RBI infield single. Junior infielder Matt Barnhorst scored on Davis' base knock after reaching safely due to a misplayed fly ball by Yale's center fielder.

Barnhorst added an RBI double in the ninth for the Big Red, plating senior outfielder Elijah Diaz, who led the inning off with a pinch-hit walk.

Senior right-handed pitcher August Biben and freshman left-handed pitcher John Gerfen had strong outings out of the bullpen, yielding a combined two hits over the final three innings.

Gerfen retired both batters he faced in the eighth, highlighted by the southpaw posting his first collegiate strikeout.

Game Two Recap

Cornell and Yale traded first-inning runs as the Big Red opened the contest with a pair of extra-base hits. Sophomore designated hitter John Quinlan led the game off with a double to left field and scored on an RBI ground-rule double by senior outfielder Wils Guy.

Yale's Davis Hanson tied the game up in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly.

A four-run second inning by the Big Red helped give Cornell the lead for the remainder of the day, as Cornell's first two batters registered extra base hits for the second consecutive inning. Senior outfielder Sam Kaplan hit a leadoff double, setting up senior infielder Joe Hollerbach's RBI triple to center field. Davis hit a two-run single to the right-center field gap before scoring on a sacrifice fly by freshman infielder TJ Swidorski.

Jake Williams singled Alec Atkinson home in the third after a Cornell fielding error to trim the Big Red's lead. In the next inning, Atkinson hit a two-out, solo home run to cut Cornell's lead to 5-3.

Immediately following Atkinson's round-tripper, Keller and Mayfield combined to set down the next 12 Bulldog batters. Of the 12 batters, Keller retired the first seven, fanning three in the stretch.

Junior catcher Nathan Waugh gave Cornell an insurance marker with a two-out, solo home run of his own in the seventh, increasing the Big Red's advantage to 6-3.

Colton Show made things interesting in the eighth when he doubled home two runs with two outs following another Cornell fielding error. Mayfield prevented further damage when he struck out Ben Metzner in a pinch-hit situation.

Sophomore infielder Max Jensen increased Cornell's lead in the ninth thanks to a two-out RBI double to right field.

Left-handed pitcher Spencer Edwards came in from the bullpen but was replaced by right-hander Ryan Porter after Edwards hitting the lone batter he faced. 

Porter induced a double play to quickly get two outs. Following a two-out walk, Porter earned his first save of the season after getting a fly out to solidify the win and series victory.

Cornell also snapped Jimmy Chatfield's 54-game on-base streak, holding the Bulldogs' right fielder to an 0-for-4 line in the contest.

Game Notes

• Cornell and Yale met for the 188th and 189th times on Sunday. The Big Red is now 78-111 all-time over its Ancient Eight rival, dating back to its first meeting in 1887.

• The victory marked Cornell's fourth win in its last six games against Yale. The Big Red has won consecutive series against the Bulldogs for the first time since winning single-game series in 1977 and 1978.

• Cornell's 2-1 start to Ivy League play is the Big Red's best three-game start to Ancient Eight play since also going 2-1 to open conference play in 2016.

• With its four stolen bases in the opening game and two steals in the nightcap, Cornell has registered multiple stolen bases in each of its last six games and in eight of its last nine.

• Guy, Kaplan, Hollerbach, Swidorski all had multi-hit performances in the series finale for the Big Red, as eight of the nine starters logged at least one hit.

• Keller recorded his first quality start of his collegiate career and was the second by a Big Red hurler this season, joining fellow freshman Ethan Hamill.

• Porter's save was his first of the season and the third of his collegiate career. It was his first save since last year against Binghamton on May 3.

Looking Ahead

Cornell returns to action next weekend when it travels to New York City to play a three-game set against Columbia. The series with the Lions begins on Saturday, April 1, with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. All games will be broadcast on ESPN+.