Cornell Gets No-Hitter as Highlanders Sweep Bard
SECAUCUS, N.Y. -- Seth Cornell (Almond, NY, Alfred-Almond CS) had a record-setting performance on the mound for the Highlanders as he recorded the program's first-ever no-hitter in a 18-0 Houghton win over Bard College in the first game of a double header Sunday.
The Highlanders won the night cap, 4-3.
In the opener, Cornell struck out 13 and walked just three in seven innings of work. Cornell allowed only four baserunners (three walks and an error), and two shallow flies to right were the only balls to leave the infield. He got plenty of run support from his hitters, who exploded for a program-record 18 runs.
The Highlanders jumped out early, scoring five runs in the first inning, then adding one in the third, four in the fourth, and blowing the top off the game with an eight-run fifth.
Christopher McKay (Oakville, ON, Canada) went 3-for-3 from the plate, while
Kameron Konert (Bolivar, NY, Bolivar-Richburg CS) (2-for-3, double, 3 RBI) and
Brandon Widrick (Castorland, NY) (double and 2 RBI) also helped provide run support for Cornell.
“We needed a game like this," said Head Coach Brian Reitnour. "Seth gave us an absolutely dominant pitching performance and we scored runs in bunches. It was great to see our guys put together this type of performance.”
The Highlanders needed two late runs to get the win in the second game. Down 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth, Houghton scored twice and then dispatched the Raptors 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh to secure the win.
After the Highlanders jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third, the Raptors scored two of their own in the top of the fourth, then took the lead on a one-out single in the fifth.
In the bottom of the sixth, still trailing by a run,
Kaiden Bowers (Brantford, ON, Canada, Assumption College School) reached on a catcher’s interference, followed by three straight singles by
Jeremy Austin (Corning, NY, Corning East HS),
Benjamin Langdon (Oakfield, NY) and
Jens Omdal (Olympia, WA), the last of which pushed across the go-ahead run for the Highlanders.
Kevin Cassar (Mississauga, ON, Canada) settled in to pick up the win, striking out three of the final four batters of the game.
“I have to give credit to Bard. For a young team, to come back after that first game and play as well as they did was a true testament to the character of the players and coaches," said Reitnour. "Their pitcher threw a great game and kept our hitters off balance for most of the game. Fortunately for us, we had some quality pitching of our own and a few timely hits that pushed us over the top.
"This was definitely a growth-game for us. Last year we probably would not have won this game after falling behind. But this year is a different story—our guys are mentally tougher and they never quit. They were relaxed, never pressed, and they earned their results. We had valuable contributions from every player in our lineup, and we actually seemed to enjoy playing the game from start to finish.”
With the wins, the Highlanders are now 3-3 on the season. Up next is a home double header with Hilbert College on Tuesday, March 19 at 1 p.m.