MOUNT VERNON – Cornell battled Midwest Conference baseball contender Lawrence in the rubber game of Saturday's series finale, falling one run short in a 6-5 Game 2 loss at Ash Park Field.
 
Lawrence (15-7 overall, 10-2 MWC) pulled away late in the opener to claim a 15-3 win and wound up taking two of three games from the Rams (10-17 overall, 5-7 MWC).
 
Junior left-hander Will Miller gave the Rams eight strong innings in the nightcap. He allowed six hits and only two earned runs while striking out seven. Miller left with the score knotted at 4-4 through eight innings.
 
The Vikings scored twice in the top of the ninth to regain the lead at 6-4. Drew Logel belted a solo home run to center with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. His fifth homer of the season brought Cornell within 6-5, although that's where the rally ended.
 
Cornell gained its first lead of the day on a sacrifice fly by Colin Konicek that made it 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Logel finished with two extra-base hits and two RBIs. Josiah Shaw went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Shaw capped an impressive offensive series in which he reached base safely in 10 of 12 plate appearances.
 
Lawrence outhit the Rams, 19-10, in the opening game that got away late. The Vikings broke open a 6-3 lead with nine runs in their final two at-bats.
 
Seth Beals, Colin Gierula and Shaw had two hits apiece for Cornell. Gierula drove in two runs.
 
Cornell's Chad Dzierba pitched two scoreless innings of two-hit ball in relief.
 
The Rams return to MWC action Tuesday with a noon doubleheader at Monmouth (7-17 overall, 1-10 MWC).