Fifth-year right-hander Jake Schope tossed all nine innings Sunday as Cornell’s baseball team claimed the rubber match of the Midwest Conference series with Illinois College, 12-1, at Joe Brooks Field.
The Rams (15-15 overall, 6-10 MWC) took two of three games from the host Blueboys (20-13 overall, 7-10 MWC) to stay alive in the MWC postseason hunt with eight league games to go.
Schope (1-3) stepped up with his best outing of the season and pitched the team’s first complete game of the spring. He limited a potent Illinois College lineup to six hits and struck out five. Schope induced 12 groundouts.
Illinois College’s lone run came off a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Rams accounted for 11 hits and scored double-digit runs in a game for the ninth time this season. Cornell erupted for 11 runs over the final three innings to turn a 1-1 tie into a blowout victory.
Cornell forged ahead during a five-run seventh frame, keyed by Cade Parks’ two-out bases-clearing double that drove in three. The freshman finished 2-for-5.
Lincoln Greasley registered three hits and two RBIs. Seth Beals was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and two RBIs. Esteban Perez belted a two-run homer in the eighth, his first round tripper as a Ram.
Earlier In the week, the Rams lost to Monmouth 11-4.