Bulldogs Drop First Two Ivy League Games

ITHACA, N.Y. – In two hard-fought games on the opening day of Ivy League play, the Yale baseball team fell short on both occasions, losing to Cornell, 10-1 and 7-5, in games one and two respectively.

With solid pitching being a prevalent theme throughout the day, the outcomes came down to delivery in the clutch moments. The Elis (6-8, 0-2 Ivy) ran into a tough pitching matchup in game one, while game two was decided by a few key plays in the seventh inning.

"It was timely hitting on their part," said sophomore infielder Richard Slenker (Pound Ridge, N.Y.). "The first game got away from us a little bit, but the second one, I thought we were going shot-for-shot, but that's the way it turned out."

Slenker led the Bulldogs at the plate, going 5-for-8 with two RBI and a run scored. The second-year third baseman boosted his batting average to .408 on Sunday.

"I just tried to stay inside the baseball. They were challenging me inside, then they started moving out in the second game," said Slenker.

Game 1

An inside-the-park home run by senior captain David Toups highlighted Yale's 10-1 loss to Cornell in game one of Sunday's doubleheader, a game completely dominated by Big Red starting pitcher, Brian McAfee.

In the seven-inning contest, which was a 3-1 game heading into the bottom of the sixth, McAfee threw a complete-game, scattering one run and four hits in the win.

The only run of the game for Yale came in the second inning, when Toups (Houston, Texas) sent a long fly to dead-center, just over the head of Cornell's J.D. Whetsel. The Bulldog right fielder rounded the bases, giving the Elis an early 1-0 lead.

Junior righty Chris Moates (Smithville, Ga.) got the start for the Bulldogs, going five innings and striking out five. Moates allowed eight earned runs and nine hits, with five scored in the sixth inning before the hurler retired a batter.

Moates (1-1) pitched three scoreless innings to start the game, but ran into trouble in the fourth when the Big Red pieced together a three-run, four-hit inning, aided by two wild pitches by the Bulldog hurler. Cornell took a 3-1 lead it would not surrender.

Trailing by two runs, the Elis were kept in check by McAfee, who retired Yale in order in the fifth and sixth innings.

Moates started the six inning, allowing three consecutive hits to the middle of Cornell's lineup. After a walk and a single by the next two batters, the junior was relieved by freshman Tyler Duncan (Newport Beach, Calif.). Cornell scored seven runs in the inning, stretching the lead to 10-1.

Campbell, Slenker, and White each had singles in the loss, while Toups added a single in the seventh inning, finishing the game 2-for-3 at the plate.

Senior Kevin Tatum led Cornell at the dish, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, hitting out of the three-spot.

Game 2

Despite Slenker going 4-for-5 with two RBI at the plate in game two, the Bulldogs could not overcome a four-run seventh inning by the Big Red, losing 7-5 in the nine-inning game with Cornell.

Trailing by two runs in the ninth inning, the Bulldogs pieced together a two-out rally after singles by Slenker and Hsieh. Each moved up a base after a wild pitch, leaving two runners in scoring position for Toups. With a 1-1 count, Toups flied out to center to end the game.

Junior righty and Yale ace Chris Lanham (Houston, Texas) allowed seven earned runs and nine hits in seven innings of work, picking up the loss. Lanham stranded seven Cornell runners in his outing, but was unable to work out of trouble in the seventh, allowing four runs and the Big Red a 7-5 lead.

Hsieh went 2-for-3 with an RBI, raising his batting average back up to .460. Toups was 1-for-4 for the Bulldogs, including an RBI single in the top of the seventh. Junior infielder Tom O'Neill (Baltimore, Md.) also recorded a single.

Just like in game one, the Bulldogs would strike first in the third inning, when Slenker roped an RBI single, scoring Campbell, to put Yale ahead, 1-0. Cornell would match in the bottom half, scoring on an error by junior Nate Adams (St. Louis, Mo.).

The Big Red added two runs in the fourth, with an RBI single by Tommy Wagner and a sacrifice fly by Morris. Wagner finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Dan Morris was 2-for-3 with three RBI.

The Bulldogs responded in a big way, scoring three runs in the fifth inning, taking a 4-3 lead  after a throwing error by Wagner at second base scored O'Neill, while Slenker and Hsieh followed up with RBI knocks for the Elis.

Yale would then have a two-out rally in the seventh, when Slenker singled, Hsieh walked, and a Toups' single scored Slenker from second, making it 5-3.

The Elis had a 5-3 lead in the seventh inning, which is when the Big Red loaded the bases for Wagner, who hit a two-out single to center, scoring two and tying the game. Morris added a two-RBI double in the next at-bat, putting Cornell ahead, 7-5.

The ninth inning would give Yale a chance to tie it up, but the Bulldogs fell short in a competitively played game.

The Bulldogs return to action on Monday when they travel to Princeton to play the Tigers in a doubleheader, starting at noon. Follow @YaleBaseball, the official Twitter page of Yale baseball, or the game's live stats to stay updated on the games.

Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity