RICHMOND, Va. — All 11 Cornell baseball team batters who registered at least one at-bat recorded a base hit, part of a 16-hit barrage that helped the visiting Big Red to a 9-3 victory over Richmond at Pitt Field on Saturday afternoon.
Four of Cornell's 16 hits came via home runs from senior catcher Nathan Waugh, junior left fielder John Quinlan, sophomore right fielder Caden Wildman, and senior second baseman Matt Barnhorst.
Barnhorst paced Cornell's offense with a three-hit day, going 3-for-5 with four RBI and scoring twice. Wildman crossed home plate on three occasions while going 2-for-3. Waugh (2-for-5) and freshman designated hitter Owen Carlson (2-for-4) also registered multi-hit days for the Big Red (2-8) to snap its six-game losing streak.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Carson Mayfield collected his first win of the season after pitching the first five innings and allowing a pair of runs on four hits. Mayfield issued just one walk and struck out a trio of Spider batters. Freshman southpaw Huxley Holcombe hurled three shutout innings of relief while fanning two. Senior right-hander Story Kimura pitched the final inning for the Big Red.
Richmond's Brian Reinke was on the wrong end of the decision for the third time on the season after yielding three runs on eight hits over his 4.1 innings. Reinke walked one and struck out four in the setback for the Spiders (8-10).
Picking up where he left off from Friday, Richmond's DJ Pacheco led the Spiders' half of the first inning with a home run, depositing Mayfield's first pitch over the left-field wall.
Cornell eventually took the lead in the fourth as Waugh clubbed his team-leading third home run of the season to right-center field. RBI singles later in the inning by Barnhorst and junior center fielder Jakobi Davis ultimately gave the Big Red the lead for good.
Mayfield settled into a groove after allowing three first-inning hits, retiring nine consecutive batters between the first and fourth innings.
Connor Larson opened the home half of the fifth with a leadoff triple down the left-field line before scoring on a Cornell fielding error to trim the Big Red's lead to 3-2.
Six unanswered runs over the final three innings distanced the Big Red from the Spiders. Barnhorst opened the scoring streak with an RBI single before freshman shortstop Kevin Hager doubled home Wildman in the seventh.
Quinlan tacked on a one-out solo home run in the eighth to give Cornell a 6-2 lead. The blast to right-center field was Quinlan's first home run in 141 at-bats.
Wildman opened the ninth inning with a solo home run to left field. Following a single by senior first baseman Braden Mack, Barnhorst also hit a round-tripper to left field to drive in his third and fourth RBI.
A pinch-hit leadoff home run by Jordan Jaffe tried to spark a ninth-inning rally for the Spiders. Kimura prevented further damage by inducing a pair of groundouts and a strikeout around a one-out
double by Jack Arcamone.
GAME NOTES
• Saturday was the 10th meeting between Cornell and Richmond. The Big Red posted its second win over its last three games against the Spiders and is now 3-7 all-time against Richmond, dating back to the first meeting during the 1938 season.
• The four home runs hit by Cornell were the most by the Big Red in a game since April 23, 2022, against Dartmouth in a 12-7 victory at Hoy Field.
• Cornell's 16 hits were the most since recording 18 base knocks against Columbia in the nightcap of a doubleheader in New York City on April 2, 2023.
• Waugh extended his hit and on-base streaks to 14 games. The hit streak is Cornell's longest since Marshall Yanzick registered base hits in the first 14 games of the 2012 campaign.
UP NEXT
Cornell and Richmond will conclude their three-game series at Pitt Field on Sunday. First pitch of the rubber match between the Big Red and Spiders is scheduled for noon. Sophomore right-hander Ethan Hamill (0-0, 8.00 ERA) is slated to make his first start of the season for Cornell. Richmond's starter has yet to be announced. Game action will be broadcast on ESPN+, and Miles McQuiggan will be on the call.
