GRINNELL, Iowa – An explosive eighth inning was all the Grinnell College baseball team needed for a 12-4 victory over Cornell College in Sunday's opener at Pioneer Park.
The Pioneers erupted for seven runs in the frame, turning a 5-4 lead into a sizable advantage. Cornell came back to earn the split, winning the nightcap 5-1.
Grinnell pounded out 11 hits in the opener, including a double and two singles each by
Riley Guieb '21 and
Brady LeSher '19.
Jack Hager '20 belted a homer and triple, and
Julian Cabrera '19 contributed a homer and double.
Vince Reilly '19 also doubled for the Pioneers, who won three of four against Cornell in the past three days to improve to 3-1 in the Midwest Conference and 9-11 overall.
Sam LaMotte '20 was the winning pitcher, scattering six hits and striking out two in 6-1/3 innings.
The Pioneers broke out to a 4-0 lead with solo runs in the first and second innings and two more in the fifth.
Kory Czajkowski '20 scored on a double play in the first, LeSher rapped an RBI single to right in the second and Hager tripled to center to score a run in the fifth and later scored on an error.
The teams traded runs in the seventh, with Grinnell's coming on LeSher's RBI double to center. Cornell cut the gap to 5-2 in the eighth before the Pioneers went wild, scoring seven runs on three hits and three errors. Cabrera began the frenzy with a three-run homer to center and Hager followed with a solo homer to left. Guieb later scored on an error following a steal, LeSher added another run and
Matthew Inaba '22 scored on an error.
The second game was tied 1-all before the Rams, who are 1-3 in the MWC and 8-8 overall, got four runs in the ninth to pull away. Grinnell managed six hits, including a double and single by Hager and two singles from
Chad Koehler '20.
Brock Weirather '21 tossed seven solid innings on the mound, striking out a whopping 14 batters – fifth-best in program history - and not giving up an earned run in getting the no-decision.
Ezra Pine '21 was tagged with the loss.
Cornell scored a run in the second inning, but the Pioneers countered in the fifth on Koehler's RBI single to center. It remained 1-all until the Rams' big ninth inning.
Hager now ranks eighth in program history for career triples with five, while
Quinton McNitt '21 is third in the hit by pitch category with 21.
Grinnell is back in action Saturday at Knox College. The twin bill begins at noon. The Pioneers host the Prairie Fire the following day, also starting at noon.
