Baseball News Releases
Wilson's grand slam, Pfister's walk-off single highlight seventh-inning comeback
MOUNT VERNON - The Cornell College baseball team and its five seniors celebrated a comeback win of historic proportions on the final day of the season Saturday at Ash Park Field.
An improbable 18-17 Game 1 victory over Loras did not get the Rams into the Iowa Conference Tournament, but it did take an outright league title away from the stunned Duhawks, who watched a 17-8 lead disappear in Cornell's final at-bat.
Cornell rallied for 10 runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, highlighted with a pinch-hit grand slam from senior Caleb Wilson (Benton, Ill./Benton) and capped with a two-out, bases-loaded, walk-off single from sophomore Matt Pfister (Northfield, Ill./New Trier). Loras came back to take the second game, 10-4, and earn a share of the IIAC title with Luther.
The Rams finished the campaign 10-23 overall and placed eighth in the league standings with a 7-14 mark.
Loras seemed to have put the Rams away after scoring four runs in the top of the seventh to take a commanding 17-8 lead. Cornell had other ideas during a stirring comeback in the bottom of the seventh. The Rams sent 15 batters to the plate, capitalizing on five walks, four hits, three errors and one hit batsman.
The Rams steadily pecked away at the big deficit, scoring single runs on a Ryan Fincham (Englewood, Colo./Englewood) base hit, a David Bartine (Des Moines/Roosevelt) hit by pitch and a Pfister sacrifice fly. With two outs, Andrew Patzke (Madison, Wis./Edgewood) drew a bases-loaded walk to make the score 17-12.
That's when Wilson was brought in to pinch hit for the Rams and Loras inserted closer Nick Olberding on the mound. Wilson deposited Olberding's first offering over the right-field fence for a grand slam, suddenly pulling the Rams to within 17-16. Cornell reloaded the bases on a pair of walks and a fielding error, followed by Bartine's walk that tied the score at 17-17. Pfister completed the comeback with a line-drive single over the reach of second baseman Alex Miklo and into right field for the game-winning RBI.
The rally snapped an eight-game series losing skid against Loras. The 18 runs are the most scored by a Ram team since they beat Central, 19-7, on April 21, 2001 in Mount Vernon.
Junior Andy Krekel (Des Moines/Roosevelt) led Cornell's 14-hit attack, going 3-for-5 with four runs scored, three RBIs and a pair of home runs, his first two of the season. Matthew Shimanovsky (Niles, Ill./Niles West) went 2-for-3 with four runs scored. Casey Korn (High Ridge, Mo./Northwest) added two hits, including a home run. Patzke also homered for the Rams. Freshman Justin Brown (Wilton/Wilton) recorded his first collegiate pitching win, getting the final two outs in the top of the seventh.
Loras used a six-run first inning to take control in the Game 2 victory. Korn went 2-for-4 with a double and a pair of RBIs. Ryan Clausen (Clinton/Clinton) and Wilson also had a double for the hosts.
The Duhawks outslugged Cornell in Friday's scheduled nine-inning game, 12-8, eliminating the Rams from postseason contention. Cornell overcame an early 6-0 deficit to tie it at 7-7 with three runs in the seventh, getting a two-run homer from Michael Tierney (Cedar Rapids/Cedar Rapids) and an RBI double from Clausen. Loras regained the lead with five runs in the eighth.
Clausen had three of Cornell's 12 hits, including two doubles. Bartine and Shimanovsky collected two hits apiece. Patzke and Tierney each drove in two runs.
Cornell dropped a 10-0 home decision to IIAC foe Central Wednesday, ending the Rams' five-game winning streak. The Rams managed only three singles and committed six errors in the eight-inning contest. Central scored runs in the first five innings to take a 9-0 lead.
Senior Day - Moments after Saturday's thrilling Game 1 win, Cornell recognized the five seniors in its baseball program: pitcher Sean Ransick (Englewood, Colo./Englewood), outfielder Wilson, pitcher Jeff Boyle (Richfield, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels), outfielder Tierney and infielder/pitcher Korn. Tierney and Korn are both all-conference performers.
Rams in the rankings - Korn finished tied for second among IIAC pitchers with 56 strikeouts and ranked fourth in innings pitched (65.2). At the plate, he tied for eighth in doubles (12). Patzke tied for ninth in the league in home runs (4). As a team, the Rams ranked third in the IIAC with 24 home runs this season.
Team leaders - Pfister led the Rams in batting average (.377) and on-base percentage (.443) in his second season with the Rams. Patzke notched team-highs with 32 RBIs and 10 multi-RBI games and was second on the team in batting average (.374), runs (22), on-base percentage (.438).
Clausen hit .350 and led Cornell regulars with a .583 slugging percentage. Shimanovsky, who finished the season with a seven-game hitting streak, tied Korn for the team lead with 38 hits. Korn led the Rams in doubles (12), runs (32), total bases (59) and multi-hit games (11).
