Tigers baseball sweeps Harvard
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
The Princeton University baseball team feels it has the pitching to win any game.
It is the hitting that may determine the Tigers success this season.
Princeton came out of its first Ivy League weekend with a 2-2 conference mark. After getting swept by Dartmouth on Saturday, 5-4 and 8-5, the Tigers swept Harvard on Sunday, 3-2 and 6-5.
”The way we rebounded, we felt pretty good,” said PU head coach Scott Bradley. “We were very disappointed the first day. I didn’t think we were really prepared, whether that was my fault or what. I think our guys sometimes expect it to be easy.”
They learned Saturday that nothing comes easily. The Big Green forced Princeton to play catch-up all afternoon, and after the Tigers forced extra innings, Dartmouth won on an eighth-inning sacrifice fly. Behind Christian Staehely who struck out nine in the first five innings, Princeton had a 4-0 lead in the second game Saturday, but Dartmouth scored seven runs in the sixth inning to take control for the win.
”They got a big hit and we did not,” Bradley said. “That was the difference. Christian was cruising along and I think we were leaving guys on, striking out, and we couldn’t get a hit to end the game. We struck out a lot with runners on third and two out.”
The Tigers turned to their strength to get them back to winning. Princeton went with David Hale and Steven Miller on the mound and they delivered.
”We always talk that momentum in baseball is in the pitcher you have starting the next game,” Bradley said. “Our pitching is maybe as good as we’ve had in terms of talent and experience.”
Princeton has had plenty of talent and experience in years past. Professional picks Chris Young, Ross Ohlendorf, Thomas Pauly and Erik Stiller have all pitched 1for the Tigers in the last decade.
The Tigers trotted out Hale and Miller, two more potential pros, for Sunday’s starts. Hale struck out nine in a complete seven-inning game performance. He induced a ground ball for the final out to seal the one-run win.
”We run David Hale out on the mound, who (throws) 93-94,” Bradley said of the sophomore’s velocity. “Then Steve Miller takes the ball on the second day and throws a nine-inning game. To go in and get two complete games out of our pitchers is pretty good.”
Miller’s steady performance gave the Tigers confidence as they rallied from a 5-2 deficit that was dug in part by errors. Princeton, however, tied the game in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Adrian Turnham, who had earlier doubled in a pair of runs. Micah Kaplan delivered the big hit in the eighth inning when he singled home Spencer Lucian. Miller got out of a two-on jam in the ninth to earn the complete game. He finished with seven strikeouts.
”We try to take a lot of pride in these weekends,” Bradley said. “You have to forget games and you have to come back. We’ve had a couple weekends when we’ll lose the first three games and we had to win an extra inning game to salvage the season. Coming out 2-2 of first weekend, we’re not satisfied, but we’ll take it and move on.”
Princeton is confident it has the make-up to contend for the Ivy crown. It sits one game behind Columbia in the Gehrig Division. Dartmouth leads the Rolfe Division at 4-0.
”If you look at the results, Dartmouth won all four games,” Bradley said of the weekend. “That was a surprise, but they have a good offense. I think we’ll see both halves come right down to the wire. The league has as much parity as we’ve ever had.”
The Tigers think they have some difference makers in Brad Gemberling, Staehely, Hale, Miller and freshman Dan Barnes. The Tigers have great confidence in their arms.
”Pitching is going to keep us in games,” Bradley said. “The four guys we can run out there, any four is capable of throwing a shutout. I don’t think anybody else in the league is like that. Any one of our top five, including our fifth guy, Danny Barnes, could throw a shutout.
”We can play a three-game series or four games, and with our top five pitchers, we can play with anybody. They’re that good. Every one of those five are being looked at by scouts.”
The Tigers are hoping that their pitchers won’t feel the need to be that good. The bats will have a lot to do with relieving some pressure. They didn’t help as much as necessary on Saturday as they stranded 21 runners in the doubleheader.
”We have to take advantage of situations,” Bradley said. “The top and middle of our lineup, we feel, is strong. From the sixth spot down, we have to be able to be productive.”
Princeton started its non-conference season with great promise. The Tigers were winning frequently early in the season, and came away from their spring trip hovering around the .500 mark. In some years, the Tigers have struggled to win three games on their spring break.
”We were able to go away and we were 6-1 at one point,” Bradley said. “Our pitching is going to enable us to do that.”
Pitching kept them in their first Ivy League weekend, and when the hitting lives up to its end, the Tigers showed they can be a difficult team to beat.