Baseball News Releases
Korn becomes eighth member of 100-hit club since 2001
Coming up - Tuesday, April 21, at Central (DH), Pella, 2:30 p.m.; Friday, April 24, at University of Dubuque (1x9), Dubuque, 3 p.m.; Saturday, April 25, at University of Dubuque (DH), Dubuque, 1 p.m.; Sunday, April 26, Robert Morris (DH), Ash Park Field, Mount Vernon, 12 p.m.; Wednesday, April 29, Central (1x9), Ash Park Field, Mount Vernon, 6 p.m.
Ram review - Senior utility man Casey Korn (High Ridge, Mo./Northwest) became the latest member of Cornell's 100-hit club, although the Rams came up empty in the win column in three games last week.
The Rams (4-20 overall, 1-11 Iowa Conference) dropped an IIAC doubleheader to rival Coe, 13-5 and 8-2, Wednesday in Mount Vernon. Cornell then fell 15-3 Sunday in a shortened seven-inning nonconference game at Grinnell.
Korn, who batted .444 (4-for-9) last week, recorded his 100th career hit with a fifth-inning single in Game 1 against Coe. He is the eighth Ram to achieve the milestone since 2001, joining Danny Love (179 hits, 2002-05), Ian Harden (178, 2000-02), Chet Knake (177, 2000-03), Pat Block (168, 2002-05), Nathan Eichmeyer (133, 2001-04), Tony Castillo (107, 1999-2001) and Tyler Downing (101, 2005-08). Korn currently has 103 hits in four seasons with the Rams.
Cornell was outhit 29-12 in the doubleheader with Coe, a team they battled in an 8-7 loss earlier this season. The Kohawks scored six of their runs Wednesday on sacrifice flies, including five in the first game.
In Game 1, the Rams scored in four of the first five innings, but couldn't make up an early 8-2 deficit. The Kohawks collected 16 hits and pulled away with three runs in the fifth and two more in the seventh. Junior Matthew Shimanovsky (Niles, Ill./Niles West) recorded Cornell's lone extra-base hit, a double, and drove in a pair of runs. Andrew Patzke (Madison, Wis./Edgewood) and Matt Pfister (Northfield, Ill./New Trier) each had an RBI.
In Game 2, Coe jumped to a 7-0 lead with three runs in the first and four in the third. The Rams scored single runs in the third and fifth innings. Korn plated Michael Tierney (Cedar Rapids/Jefferson) with a single in the third. Patzke singled home Ryan Fincham (Englewood, Colo./Englewood) in the fifth.
Cornell got off to a good start against Grinnell, scoring three runs in the top of the first. Korn delivered a two-run double and Shimanovsky followed with an RBI single to give the Rams an early 3-0 lead. Grinnell answered with four runs in the bottom of the first and then broke the game open with a four-run third inning and a four-run fifth. Korn finished 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBIs. Shimanovsky also had a pair of hits for the Rams.
Team leaders - Junior David Bartine (Des Moines/Roosevelt) extended his hitting streak to eight games, collecting singles in each of the three games last week. He is hitting .385 during the streak with a double and six runs scored.
Patzke is batting a team-best .391 and also leads the Rams with four multi-RBI games. He is tied with Shimanovsky and Korn with six multi-hit games apiece.
