HANOVER, N.H. — Tyler Robinson hit a go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, and reliever Jack Metzger retired six of the final seven batters he faced to solidify a 3-2 victory for Dartmouth against the Cornell baseball team at Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park on Sunday afternoon.
Metzger allowed six hits over four shutout innings of relief for the Big Green (3-36, 2-19 Ivy), who also had two-hit days by Peter O'Toole and Ryan Schwartz.
Sophomore first baseman
Max Jensen and freshman shortstop
TJ Swidorski both had two-hit days and had an RBI for Cornell, who concludes its 2023 season with a 9-26 overall record and an 8-13 mark in Ivy League play.
Freshman left-hander
Noah Keller gave up two runs (one earned) and eight hits in his 5.1 innings on the mound for the Big Red.
Junior right-handed pitcher
Von Baker was the losing pitcher for Cornell as he allowed the game-winning run to score in the seventh.
Dartmouth recorded two triples in the fourth inning, with the latter hit aiding the Big Green to open the scoring. Peter O'Toole opened the inning with a triple, but was doubled off on a lineout to Cornell shortstop
TJ Swidorski. Ryan Schwartz recorded the other triple before he scored on an RBI double by Max Zajec.
Cornell responded rather quickly as Swidorski hit a two-out RBI single to score senior third baseman
Joe Hollerbach, who was hit by a pitch by Dartmouth starting pitcher Clark Gilmore to open the fifth.
Gilmore finished the game allowing one run and scattering two hits in his five innings of work. He walked one batter and also struck out one.
A throwing error on an attempt to turn an inning-ending double play allowed Dartmouth to regain the lead, 2-1, in the sixth.
For the second time on the day, Cornell responded to Dartmouth scoring with a run of its own. Sophomore first baseman
Max Jensen ripped a two-out RBI single back up the middle to score sophomore center fielder
Jakobi Davis to tie the game, 2-2, in the seventh.
A leadoff double by Zackarie Casebonne proved to be the difference maker as he scored on Robinson's RBI single to ultimately put the Big Green up for good.
Metzger slammed the door on any Cornell comeback attempt by retiring six of the final seven batters he faced to earn his first victory of the season. The lone baserunner to reach in the final two innings was on a two-out double by Swidorski in the ninth.
Game Notes
• Sunday was the 187th all-time meeting between Cornell and Dartmouth on the baseball diamond. The Big Red is now 86-100-1 all-time against the Big Green.
• Swidorski's multi-hit performance was his third of the season and his first since also having a two-hit game against Yale on March 26.
• Keller joined his classmate
Ethan Hamill in matching the Cornell program record for most starts by a freshman pitcher (11 starts), joining Brian Williamson (1996) and Brian McAfee (2012).
• Junior right-handed pitcher
William Stephens logged a season-high 1.2 innings of work over the seventh and eighth innings. He did not allow a hit, but issued one walk and struck out a pair of Big Green batters. The two strikeouts marked his first multi-strikeout performance of his collegiate career.
• Jensen, senior right fielder
Sam Kaplan, and sophomore center fielder
Jakobi Davis all conclude the season riding five-game hit streaks.
• Hollerbach concludes his Cornell career riding a season-long eight-game on-base streak.
Season Notes
• Cornell concludes the season with 30 home runs, marking the first time the Big Red hit at least 30 home runs in consecutive seasons since hitting a program-record 38 home runs in 2009 and 30 in 2010.
• The Big Red stole 53 bases this season, marking the most bases stolen in a season since 2013 when it swiped 62 bases.
• Cornell's eight Ivy League wins are the most by the program since also going 8-13 in Ancient Eight play in 2019.
•
Nathan Waugh's .330 batting average marks the second consecutive season — excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season — in which a Big Red player has batted at least .330. Jensen batted .338 last season for Cornell.
