ITHACA, N.Y. — Senior left-handed pitcher Spencer Edwards delivered a first-pitch fastball to Princeton's Matt Scannell for a ball at 3:33 p.m., signifying the first pitch ever thrown at Booth Field, officially anointing the brand-new off-campus facility as the successor of historic Hoy Field which stood as the Big Red's home for the previous 36,889 days.

Princeton took advantage of the apparent hitter-friendly dimensions at Booth Field as it combined to hit six home runs, lifting the visiting Tigers to an 11-8 victory over Cornell on Friday afternoon.

Kyle Vinci increased his already-established Princeton single-season record for home runs by clubbing his Ivy League-leading 15th and 16th round-trippers of the season. Vinci concluded the day going 2-for-3 and drove in a game-high five RBI.

Scannell, Eric Marasheski, Jake Bold, and Noah Granet also hit home runs for the Tigers (16-17, 8-5 Ivy), who registered its second-most home runs in a single game in program history.

The first two Princeton batters — Scannell and Marasheski — opened the inaugural game at Booth Field with a bang, hitting back-to-back home runs off Edwards.

Cornell responded with its own two-run first inning as sophomore first baseman Max Jensen logged an RBI double before scoring on a fielding error by Granet following a batted ball by junior catcher Nathan Waugh.

The Big Red took the lead in the next inning on a sacrifice fly by junior second baseman Matt Barnhorst that scored sophomore center fielder Jakobi Davis, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI.

Davis ended up a double shy of recording Cornell's first cycle since senior third baseman Joe Hollerbach did so last year against Coppin State in the nightcap of a March 5 doubleheader.

A pair of two-run home runs by Vinci and Granet in the fourth inning gave Princeton a 6-3 lead, but three unanswered runs by Cornell drew the contest even at 6-all.

The three unanswered Big Red runs came on an RBI single by Davis in the fourth and a two-run home run by senior right fielder Sam Kaplan in the fifth.

Bold hit a leadoff solo home run in the sixth inning, ultimately giving the Tigers the lead for the remainder of the day. An RBI single by Granet also brought home another run for Princeton.

Davis hit a two-out solo home run in the Big Red's half of the sixth hoping to spark another Big Red rally to tie the game, but Vinci had other plans as he clobbered a three-run home run to left field, giving Princeton an 11-7 lead in the seventh.

Waugh later trimmed the deficit with an RBI single to the right-center field gap in the bottom of the seventh.

Cornell threatened to tie the game in the ninth as Barnhorst opened the frame with a double to the right-center field gap. After freshman reliever Justin Kim produced a strikeout, he hit Jensen with a pitch to send the tying run to the plate.

Princeton head coach Scott Bradley elected to go to the bullpen, signaling for his closer Jacob Faulkner. The move proved to benefit the Tigers as Faulkner earned his sixth save of the season after striking out Cornell's No. 3 and No. 4 batters to conclude the contest.

Senior right-hander Jackson Emus earned his first victory of the season for Princeton after he yielded six runs (five earned) on five hits in his five-inning start. He walked one and struck out six.

Edwards was on the wrong end of the decision after he allowed six runs on nine hits over his four innings on the mound, while posting three strikeouts and issuing one walk.

Freshman right-handed pitcher Carson Mayfield allowed five runs (two earned) on five hits in his five innings of relief. He issued a pair of walks and matched his season high for strikeouts with five.

Game Notes

• Friday marked the 257th all-time meeting between the two Ivy League rivals, dating back to 1888. Cornell now has a 100-155-2 record against the Tigers.

• Senior outfielder Wils Guy had his eight-game hit streak snapped on Friday after going 0-for-4.

• Kaplan increased his hit streak to seven games, which is a new career high for the senior outfielder. He also increased his on-base streak to 12.

• With his leadoff walk, Quinlan increased his on-base streak to 10 games, joining Kaplan with an active double-digit on-base streak.

• Along with being a double shy of the cycle, Davis recorded his 11th stolen base of the season in the fourth inning. Davis' stolen base total is the most by a Big Red player since Ryan Krainz had 11 during the 2018 campaign.

• Cornell turned three double plays, all of which came in the first three innings. The Big Red's trio of twin killings matches the team's season high previously done at No. 5-ranked Wake Forest on March 5 and at VCU on March 10.

• Partially in part of having 14 outs coming via groundouts, Cornell ended the contest with 20 fielding assists, which is the most in a single game by the Big Red since also registering 20 assists against Hartford on Feb. 27, 2015.

Booth Field Firsts

GAME: Friday, April 21, 2023 (Princeton 11, Cornell 8)
ATTENDANCE: 397
TIME OF GAME | TEMPERATURE: 2:21 | 84°F
FIRST PITCH: 3:33 p.m. by Spencer Edwards, Cornell; fastball, ball
BATTER: Matt Scannell, Princeton (homered)
PLATE UMPIRE: Mike Lum
HIT: Home run by Matt Scannell, Princeton, 1st inning, none on
FIRST CORNELL HIT: Double by Max Jensen, 1st inning, one on
RUN: Matt Scannell, Princeton (home run by Matt Scannell)
FIRST CORNELL RUN: John Quinlan (double by Max Jensen)
SINGLE: Brendan Cumming, Princeton, 1st inning
FIRST CORNELL SINGLE: Jakobi Davis, 4th inning
DOUBLE: Max Jensen, Cornell, 1st inning
TRIPLE: Jakobi Davis, Cornell, 2nd inning
FIRST RBI: Matt Scannell, Princeton, 1st inning
FIRST CORNELL RBI: Max Jensen, Cornell, 1st inning
HOME RUN: Matt Scannell, Princeton, 1st inning off Spencer Edwards
FIRST CORNELL HOME RUN: Sam Kaplan, 5th inning off Jackson Emus
TWO-RUN HOME RUN: Kyle Vinci, Princeton, 4th inning off Spencer Edwards
CORNELL TWO-RUN HOME RUN: Sam Kaplan, 5th inning off Jackson Emus
THREE-RUN HOME RUN: Kyle Vinci, Princeton, 7th inning off Carson Mayfield
WINNING PITCHER: Jackson Emus, Princeton (starter)
LOSING PITCHER: Spencer Edwards, Cornell (starter)
SAVE: Jacob Faulkner, Princeton
PUTOUT: Matt Barnhorst, Cornell (first out of 6-4-3 double play)
ASSIST: Ryan Porter, Cornell (GIDP to shortstop)
ERROR: Noah Granet, Princeton, fielding
WALK: Cornell's John Quinlan by Princeton's Jackson Emus, 1st inning
STRIKEOUT: Princeton's Kyle Vinci by Cornell's Spencer Edwards, 1st inning
STOLEN BASE: Scott Bandura, Princeton, 4th inning
CORNELL STOLEN BASE: Ryan Porter, Cornell, 4th inning
DOUBLE PLAY: Porter to Barnhorst to Jensen, Cornell, 1st inning

Looking Ahead

Cornell and Princeton will conclude its three-game series with a doubleheader at Booth Field on Saturday. First pitch of the opening game is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Both games will air live on ESPN+.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early as there will be an on-field ceremony dedicating the field to Rich Booth '82.