NEW YORK — A nine-run third inning gave Fordham a lead it would never relinquish as the Rams staved off a late Cornell rally in a 16-11 victory over the Big Red in the rubber match of this weekend's three-game series at Houlihan Park in the Bronx.

Sophomore catcher Mason Barela paced Cornell's (1-9) offense, going 5-for-6 with all five hits being singles, while senior center fielder Caden Wildman went 4-for-6 with a double and two RBI. Barela and Wildman were two of six players with multi-hit days, as junior shortstop Kevin Hager had three hits and senior first baseman TJ Swidorski added two hits and a team-high four RBI. Cornell's top four hitters combined for 13 of the team's 19 hits, going a collective 13-for-23 (.565) on the day.

For Fordham (4-9), Anthony Grabau, Tommy McAndrews, Joey Donnelly and Tommy Markey each had multi-hit games, with McAndrews and Markey driving in three runs apiece to lead the Rams offensively. McAndrews was the key figure in the decisive third inning, opening the scoring with a tying RBI single before capping the nine-run frame with a two-run home run.

After Wildman gave Cornell a 1-0 lead with a one-out RBI double in the top of the third, the home half of the frame unraveled on the Big Red as Fordham scored nine runs on four hits, aided by four free passes — two walks and two hit batters — and three errors.

Cornell and Fordham traded runs in the fourth as junior second baseman Owen Carlson plated the Big Red's run on a two-out RBI single. Fordham answered with a run on a fielder's choice, the first of six unanswered, as the Rams plated five more in the fifth to take a 15-2 lead.

The Big Red trimmed its deficit from 13 to four behind a nine-run sixth, fueled in part by junior third baseman Luke Johnson being hit by a pitch twice in the inning, and capped by a grand slam from senior first baseman TJ Swidorski.

Fordham added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth as the Rams' leadoff hitter reached on a Big Red fielding error before benefiting from a passed ball and wild pitch to push the lead to five. Cornell mounted a potential two-out rally in the ninth — drawing a walk before back-to-back singles loaded the bases with the tying run on deck — but the Rams ended it with a game-ending lineout to secure the series victory.

Cornell senior right-handed pitcher Ethan Hamill lasted just two-plus innings while issuing four walks. Fellow senior right-hander Josh Shea was saddled with the loss after he was unable to record an out, allowing two runs on one hit before giving way to junior right-hander Ethan Van Sice and senior southpaw Noah Keller, who combined to allow 10 runs between the third and fifth innings. Freshman right-hander Michael Tight provided bulk innings of relief, scattering five hits across his four innings of work and not allowing an earned run.

Fordham starter Aidan Dowd held Cornell to two runs over four innings to help the Rams build their big lead. Reliever Alec Murray was the beneficiary of Cornell's six-inning surge, allowing eight runs on five hits while retiring just two batters. Aric Berg closed things out with two scoreless innings to help preserve the victory, with Andrew Kapica earning the win after a scoreless fifth.

GAME NOTES
• Cornell's lead in the all-time series with Fordham was trimmed to 14-9. The Big Red and Rams have alternated results in each of the last eight meetings, dating back to April 14, 1972.

• Barela's five-hit game was Cornell's first since catcher Will Simoneit went 5-for-5 in a 4-1 victory at Army on April 3, 2019.

• Swidorski's sixth-inning grand slam was Cornell's first bases-clearing home run in nearly a calendar year, since Ryan Porter's grand slam at Towson on March 15, 2025.

• Sophomore outfielder Tyler Beaulieu recorded his first two collegiate hits on the day, opening with a leadoff single in the third inning before adding a two-RBI double in the nine-run sixth.

• The nine-run sixth was Cornell's highest-scoring inning since plating 12 runs in the second inning of an 18-5 victory over Harvard in the nightcap of an April 10, 2011, twin bill in Cambridge, Mass.

• Cornell batted .314 as a team over the three-game series against Fordham, paced by Barela (8-for-14, .571) and Hager (6-for-11, .545). Wildman (4-for-12, .333), freshman outfielder Jake Hower (4-for-11, .364) and Johnson (3-for-9, .333) also batted at least .300 on the weekend.

UP NEXT
Cornell continues its season-opening 16-game road trip next weekend, returning to Virginia to face VMI in a three-game series beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 14 at 1 p.m. All three games will be streamed live on ESPN+.