Cornell falls twice at University of Dubuque

Cornell senior Robert Carlson went 4-for-6 at the plate, but the Rams came up short on the scoreboard, 4-3 and 7-0, in an Iowa Conference doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at the University of Dubuque.

Dubuque (13-5, 3-4 IIAC) broke a 3-3 tie in the opener on a one-out single in the bottom of the sixth. Cornell (2-10, 0-5 IIAC) put the tying run on base in the seventh, although couldn't avoid its fourth one-run setback of the season.

Junior right-hander Charlie Muir (0-2) gave the Rams a chance on the mound, scattering eight hits with four strikeouts in a complete-game effort.

Ryan Nordtvedt scored on a sacrifice fly from Justin Brown that put Cornell ahead 1-0 in the second inning. The Rams tied the game at 3-3 in the fifth on a two-run single by Milton Kurschner.

Carlson accounted for three of Cornell's eight hits. Kurschner went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Brown and Nick Norris each scored a run.

The Spartans built a 6-0 lead after three innings in Game 2. Three of those runs were unearned off starting pitcher Adam Butler (1-4). Justin Brown worked the final three innings, giving up one run and a pair of hits.

Senior Matt Pfister went 2-for-3 to lead Cornell's six-hit attack. Carlson added a single, raising his team-best batting average to .381.

The Rams play host to Loras in a three-game IIAC series this weekend at Ash Park Field. The teams are scheduled to play one nine-inning game at 6 p.m. Friday, April 8, followed by a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday.