PRINCETON, N.J. — Cornell baseball avoided a sweep in its Ivy League-opening series with four unanswered runs over the final two innings, rallying from a 3-2 deficit to defeat Princeton 6-3 Sunday afternoon at Clarke Field.

The win salvaged the final game of the weekend after Cornell was outscored 25-7 in Saturday's doubleheader losses, 13-7 and 12-0.

Freshman right fielder Jake Hower tied the game in the eighth with a one-out solo home run just inside the left-field foul pole, driving the first pitch he saw after sophomore catcher Mason Barela had battled through an eight-pitch at-bat before striking out to lead off the inning. Junior shortstop Kevin Hager followed with a double down the left-field line, advancing on a wild pitch by Princeton reliever Ryan Penney and scored on a second wild pitch by Charlie Wolf, which came after junior third baseman Luke Johnson drew a four-pitch walk. Johnson, who stole third after Wolf's wild pitch that scored Hager, attempted to score on a fly out to end the inning, but was thrown out at home by Princeton right fielder Jake Koonin — the second time on the day Koonin had cut down a Cornell runner at the plate.

Senior center fielder Caden Wildman capped the rally with a two-out, two-run home run in the ninth, providing the cushion Cornell needed. Junior right-handed pitcher Max Foster worked around a two-out walk to earn his third save of the season and keep Princeton (7-12, 2-1 Ivy League) from mounting a ninth-inning threat.

Eight of Cornell's nine starters recorded a hit. Wildman and Barela each drove in two runs to pace the offense.

Barela gave Cornell an early lead with a one-out RBI single in the first inning, but Princeton's Will Robbins answered immediately, doubling home two runs in the bottom half to put the Tigers ahead. Barela's sacrifice fly drew Cornell even before Jake Kernodle's solo home run to center field in the fourth restored Princeton's lead at 3-2.

Cornell's third inning had offered a chance to regain the lead, but Koonin threw out junior second baseman Owen Carlson at the plate on a fly out to right to strand the runner.

Cornell senior right-handed starting pitcher Ethan Hamill steadied after the Kernodle homer, retiring Princeton in order in the fifth to begin a stretch in which Big Red pitching allowed just one hit over the final four innings. Hamill scattered six hits across five innings, striking out six — matching his career high — while allowing three runs on three walks.

Sophomore right-handed pitcher John Hegarty was equally stingy in relief, tossing three scoreless, hitless innings for his fourth multi-inning outing without allowing a run or a hit this season. He struck out one before handing the ball to Foster.

GAME NOTES
• Cornell snapped a four-game losing streak against Princeton, trimming the Tigers' series lead to 165-104-2.

• The Big Red ended a 34-game losing streak when trailing after seven innings under Dan Pepicelli, the Ted Thoren Head Coach of Cornell Baseball.

• Hamill's six strikeouts matched the career high he first set against Princeton on April 22, 2023, his freshman season.

• Johnson recorded his first career multi-steal game. It was the first time a Cornell player had stolen multiple bases in a game since John Quinlan '25 accomplished the feat, also against Princeton, on May 3, 2025.

UP NEXT
Cornell will host Harvard (2-14, 1-2 Ivy League) next weekend in its first home series of the season. The Big Red and Crimson open with a doubleheader Saturday at 11:30 a.m. All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+.