ITHACA, N.Y. — Junior outfielder
John Quinlan registered five hits to cement himself with the most hits in conference games by a Big Red player in a single season, and Cornell broke the single-season home run record with its four home runs in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader at Booth Field.
Despite the record-breaking performances by Cornell (13-16, 10-7 Ivy League), Columbia (22-14, 14-3 Ivy League) blasted a combined eight home runs over the pair of games to guide the Lions to 14-11 and 14-2 victories and clinch at least a share of the Ivy League title.
GAME ONE RECAP
Cornell leaped out to a 6-1 lead in the second inning, but nine unanswered runs across the third and fifth innings ultimately put Columbia ahead for good as the Lions posted a 14-11 victory in the opening game of Saturday's twin bill.
Columbia shortstop Sam Miller led the Lions' offensive attack by going 4-for-5 with a double, home run, and four RBI. Griffin Palfrey added five RBI during his 3-for-6 performance with a double and grand slam. Eric Jeon also had a three-hit day, going 3-for-5 with a home run. Nine of the Lions' 18 hits in the contest went for extra bases.
The top three hitters for Cornell combined to go 7-for-14 with three home runs, eight RBI, and eight runs scored. Quinlan paced Cornell offensively by going 3-for-5 with a double. Senior catcher
Nathan Waugh blasted two home runs in a 2-for-4 day with five RBI. Junior infielder
Max Jensen chipped in three RBI with a home run during his 2-for-5 day at the plate.
After Columbia opened the scoring with an RBI double by Palfrey, Quinlan broke his tie with former Big Red catcher Will Simoneit for the most hits in conference play with a leadoff double to left-center field that set up Jensen for a two-run blast to give Cornell an early 2-1 lead. An RBI groundout by senior first baseman
Braden Mack and a two-out throwing error by Jeon enabled two more Big Red runs to score in a four-run first inning.
Waugh increased Cornell's lead to 6-1 in the second with a two-out blast, tying the program's single-season home run record with its 38th blast of the year.
Four home runs by Columbia across the third and fifth innings turned the Big Red's five-run lead into a four-run advantage for the Lions before freshman catcher
Mark Quatrani logged Cornell's third home run of the game to break the program's single-season home run record.
Miller added a two-RBI double in the seventh, and Skye Selinsky's solo home run and a sacrifice fly by Cole Fellows in the ninth inning increased Columbia's lead to 14-7.
The Big Red attempted a ninth-inning rally after Will Parkinson hit the first two batters of the frame. Following a fielder's choice, Jensen posted his third RBI of the game with an RBI single to center field that preceded Waugh's second home run of the game, trimming Columbia's lead to 14-11.
Parkinson slammed the door on Cornell's rally, inducing a strikeout and a groundout to clinch Columbia's spot in this year's Ivy League Tournament.
GAME TWO RECAP
Picking up where it left off, Columbia's offense registered the first 12 runs in its 14-2 triumph, which solidified the Lions of at least a share of the Ivy League title.
The Lions scored runs in seven of the nine innings of the day, including five multi-run frames.
Miller and Jeon had four-hit games in the nightcap, while Palfrey and Anton Lazits drove in three RBI apiece. Palfrey, Lazits, and Jack Cooper all hit round-trippers in Columbia's victory.
Quinlan, Jensen, and senior second baseman
Matt Barnhorst all had two-hit performances for Cornell. Jensen drove in both Cornell runs for the game, with the latter coming on a two-out RBI double in the ninth inning.
GAME NOTES
• Saturday was the 252nd and 253rd meeting between Cornell and Columbia on the baseball diamond. Cornell's lead in the series was trimmed to 133-120 as the Lions have won eight of the last nine contests.
• Quinlan's five hits increased his base hit total in Ivy League games to 36, tied for the ninth-most hits in conference games in EIBL/Ivy League history.
MOST HITS IN CONFERENCE GAMES
EIBL/Ivy League History
• 42, Tyler Cox (Dartmouth), 2022
• 39, Matt Kutler (Brown), 2005
• 38, Tom Grandieri (Penn), 2010
• 38, Peter Matt (Penn), 2019
• 37, Dan Thompson (Yale), 1995
• 37, Joe Lomuscio (Brown), 2019
• 37, Joe Engel (Columbia), 2019
• 37, Jake Suddleson (Harvard), 2019
• 36, Eduardo Malinowski (Penn), 2018
• 36, Ed Lucas (Dartmouth), 2004
• 36, Tim Graul (Penn), 2017
• 36, Mika Petersen (Brown), 2023
• 36, John Quinlan (Cornell), 2024
• Quinlan's batting average on the season was upped to .410, matching Nathan Ford's clip from 2008 for the third-best hitting clip by a Cornell player with a minimum of 80 at-bats. Only Jamie Blattstein's .425 average in 1992 and Mike Kalfopoulos' .413 figure in 1984 are higher.
HIGHEST SEASON BATTING AVERAGE
Cornell Program History (Min. 80 ABs)
1. .425, Jamie Blattstein (1992)
2. .413, Mike Kalfopoulos (1984)
T3. .410, Nathan Ford (2008)
T3. .410, John Quinlan (2024)
5. .406, Dale Wickham (2017)
6. .404, Brian Billigen (2009)
7. .400, Chris Stocke (1974)
• Waugh's two-home run game in the opener increased his career total for home runs to 17, tying Marlin McPhail (1979-82) and Erik Rico (1999-02) for the fifth-most home runs while donning a Cornell jersey.
MOST CAREER HOME RUNS
Cornell Program History
1. 24, Chris Cruz (2011-14)
T2. 21, Gary Kaczor (1977-80)
T2. 21, Bill Walkenbach (1995-98)
4. 20, Brian Billigen (2009-12)
T5. 17, Marlin McPhail (1979-82)
T5. 17, Erik Rico (1999-02)
T5. 17, Nathan Waugh (2021-Present)
• Quatrani's home run in the first game was his eighth round-tripper of the season, matching Gary Kaczor (1979), Mike Branca (1981), Trevor Schumm (1991), Flint Foley (2001), Nate David (2009), and Brian Billigen (2011) for the sixth-most home runs by a player in a single season.
MOST HOME RUNS IN A SEASON
Cornell Program History
• 12, Chris Cruz (2012)
• 11, Eric Kirby (1995)
• 11, Erik Rico (2002)
• 9, Brian Kaufman (2006)
• 9, Nathan Ford (2009)
• 8, Gary Kaczor (1979)
• 8, Mike Branca (1981)
• 8, Trevor Schumm (1991)
• 8, Flint Foley (2001)
• 8, Nate David (2009)
• 8, Brian Billigen (2011)
• 8, Mark Quatrani (2024)
• Seven of Quatrani's eight home runs have come against Ivy League opposition, two fewer than Penn's Wyatt Henseler, who paces the Ivy League with his nine home runs in conference play.
MOST HOME RUNS IN IVY LEAGUE PLAY
This Season
• 9, Wyatt Henseler (Penn)
• 7, Mark Quatrani (Cornell)
• 6, Skye Selinsky (Columbia)
• 6, Sam Miller (Columbia)
• 5, Jack Cooper (Columbia)
• 5, Griffin Palfrey (Columbia)
• 4, Matt Barnhorst (Cornell)
• 4, Cole Fellows (Columbia)
• 4, Kolton Freeman (Dartmouth)
• 4, William Lybrook (Harvard)
• 4, Ben Rounds (Harvard)
ON DECK
Cornell will look to avoid being swept in an Ivy League series for the first time this season when it faces Columbia in the series finale on Senior Day at Booth Field on Sunday. Senior Day festivities are scheduled to commence at 11:40 a.m. before the 12 p.m. first pitch. Sophomore right-hander
Ethan Hamill (2-2, 5.19 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Big Red. Game action will be broadcast on ESPN+.
