Sherman's Road to the Regional: Part 3

This is part three of a three-part series following one of the lead broadcasters for Cornell Big Red baseball. Make sure to read Part One HERE and Part Two HERE.

Saturday brought a new day and perhaps even more anticipation than Friday’s game did, as we knew that one more loss would send the Big Red packing. But the opening games gave us good reason to be confident going into the elimination game against ECU. Cornell had brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth against Michael Morin and the UNC Tar Heels while ECU had struggled against the St. John’s Red Storm in their Friday afternoon contest, falling 11-3. We also had freshman starter Brian McAfee on the hill for the Saturday game. McAfee is no stranger to pitching well in elimination games; he started and threw 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on five hits the final game of the regular season. The Big Red went on to defeat Princeton 4-3 in 12 innings to win the Lou Gehrig division and clinch a spot in the Ivy League Championship series. And just less than a month prior to the NCAA regional, McAfee started the third and decisive game of the aforementioned Ivy League Championship Series against Dartmouth at Hoy Field, allowing only one run on four hits over six strong innings in the 3-1 victory that took 11 innings. However, we had the feeling that a lot of hitting was in store for us on Saturday, as the Big Red offense seemed to be firing on all cylinders, while the Pirates managed to knock 11 hits in their Game 1 loss. Our expectations for Saturday’s contest came to fruition.


After McAfee and ECU Senior starter Kevin Brandt each threw two shutout innings to start the game, ECU struck first. Designated hitter Drew Reynolds belted a solo home run to deep right field to give his team a 1-0 lead in the third. Then, ECU shortstop singled to left field to extend the lead to 2-0 in the 4th inning.

Making an early comeback certainly did not present a threat the Big Red, as they proved in the bottom half of the 4th inning. Brian Billigen led off the inning with a lead off single, Chris Cruz was hit by a pitch, and Frank Hager reached on an error to load the bases with no one out. There was no hitter on the team that you would want up in this situation than senior catcher Brandon Lee. He was 4 for 6 in the regional prior to his 4th inning at bat and there was no doubt that he was looking to do some damage.

He did not wait very long.

On the first pitch of the at-bat, Lee roped a single into center field to move everyone up a base and give his club the first run of the game and cut the score to 2-1. Tom D’Alessandro and Ben Swinford followed suit with RBI singles of their own, and Marshall Yanzick was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. The Big Red had a 4-2 lead after 4 innings of play, and we thought that giving Brian McAfee a lead was exactly what we needed. Unfortunately, the game seemed to take a turn for the worse after the 4th inning rally.

ECU struck back with five runs of their own after batting around in the order. McAfee hit a batter and allowed a base hit. In addition, first baseman Frank Hager couldn’t handle a throw at first base that cost the team a run, and McAfee couldn’t seem to put hitters away in two-strike counts. When it was all said and done, McAfee had been knocked out of the game after 4.2 innings pitched, allowing six runs (three earned) on eight hits. Was there another comeback in store for the resilient Cornell Big Red baseball team?

We certainly thought there was a chance in the 5th, as the ECU lead was cut to 7-6 after another RBI hit by Brandon Lee and a bases loaded hit by pitch for Ben Swinford. But perhaps the biggest blow came in the two-out bases loaded situation for the Big Red. In a 1-2 count to Marshall Yanzick, ECU Tyler Joyner seemed to drop his hand out of his glove while standing on the pitcher’s rubber, a movement that would normally result in a balk that would have advanced all of the runners and tied the game at 7-7. However, none of the umpires recognized the illegal movement and the runners stayed put. On the very next pitch, Yanzick struck out swinging to end the inning in frustrating fashion. ECU never looked back. The Pirates added three more runs in the seventh and secured a lead that they would not relinquish. The Big Red, who were so accustomed to making comebacks in do-or-die situations, were not able to recover and ultimately lost the slugfest by a final score of 10-6.

When the final out was recorded on a Kevin Tatum ground ball to the shortstop, it was a very surreal moment for us in the broadcast booth and certainly for the players and coaches down on the field. The storied season had come to an end in fitting fashion, as the tying run was in the on-deck circle before the final out was made. It was time for everyone to reflect on how successful the season really was; Cornell baseball made a name for itself on a national level with its competitive play against two tough teams in UNC and ECU, and the road to the regional presented many moments in which the team had to overcome adversity.

As the entire team congregated in shallow left field, it was evident to Alex and me that Coach Walkenbach could not be doing anything but congratulating his team for their performance over the weekend and throughout the entire season, as their efforts this season had made their families, the student body, and the Cornell community nothing but proud. It was a tough postgame wrap up for us, as we were certainly ready to continuing watching our team and calling their games at the beautiful facilities at Boshamer Stadium in North Carolina.

Cornell At-Bat wrapped up its inaugural season by recapping the elimination game, looking at the positives that the team should take into next season, and most importantly, thanking everyone who made our trip to UNC possible in the first place. We would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the baseball coaching staff and the players for being so welcoming to us and allowing us to join their incredible journey to the NCAA regional. The staff of Cornell’s Athletic Communications team allowed us to create and record the broadcasts and worked to make our travel plans as convenient as possible, and our experience would not have been the same without them. We also have to thank Rich Booth, whose support and enthusiasm for Cornell athletics was the reason that everyone was able to have such a memorable weekend at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Cornell At-Bat is just getting started, and we’re looking forward to continuing our coverage of Big Red baseball. Thanks to our listeners and supporters, and we hope you continue following us for years to come.