Pitching power propels baseball to 3-1 weekend

When the baseball team began the season, one thing was clear: The pitching staff was as deep as it has been in recent history.

Three of the top starters from last season, three new freshman recruits and a crop of other hurlers easily filled out the starting rotation. The remainder would be effective in long relief. But the one high-profile enforcer — the closer, the man who stops the opponent in the final innings with the game on the line — was still missing.

The Tigers have played without a clearly defined closer for the last few seasons. The closest was Jeff Golden '99, but he saved only five of Princeton's 24 wins last season.

Exit: the Tigers from the Ivy League championships after blowing a ninth-inning lead behind Golden.

Enter: freshman righthander David Boehle.

Boehle followed up Thursday's no-hit, one-strikeout ninth inning against Connecticut — his third save of the season — with three appearances this weekend. The rookie stopper earned one win and one save in two and one-third innings of shutout work.

Suddenly, the Tigers can count on winning the close games.

That is exactly what Princeton (6-8) did this weekend in a pair of doubleheaders against St. Joseph's and Delaware. The Tigers swept the Hawks in two close games, 3-0 and 8-6, Saturday before splitting against the Blue Hens yesterday. Princeton dropped a 15-1 game but proceeded to another close win Sunday, 6-5 over Delaware.

Sophomore righthander Tom Rowland started the weekend off for Princeton, pitching six shutout innings in the first game against St. Joseph's (6-17). Rowland allowed only three hits in his first win of the season before Boehle pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save.

Three freshman pitchers combined on the 8-6 win in the nightcap. Putting in a strong performance but hindered by a fifth-inning mishap, righthander Ryan Quillian allowed only one earned run in five innings of work.

A two-out error by freshman shortstop Mike Chernoff led to a four-run fifth for the Hawks in Quillian's final inning. The four unearned runs put St. Joseph's up, 5-2, but the Tigers came back to tie in the top of the sixth inning.

With the bases loaded and one out, sophomore pinch hitter Tony Dent brought the score to 5-3 with a sacrifice fly to left field. Junior first baseman Andrew Hanson was hit by a pitch and sophomore designated hitter Eric Voelker walked to force in another run and load the bases again, this time for senior catcher Buster Small. The captain lined a single to right field for two of his three RBI to give Princeton a one-run lead.

Mariano Rivera

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Freshman righthander Mark Siano allowed one run before Boehle again entered to close out the game. Tied at six runs apiece in the sixth, the freshman allowed four hits but no runs in one and one-third innings. The Tigers rallied in the top of the seventh behind an RBI single by Dent and a run-scoring sacrifice fly by Hanson.

After dropping the 15-1 decision to the Blue Hens (9-8) earlier in the day Sunday, Princeton bounced back behind righthander Jason Quintana. The senior pitched all seven innings of the 6-5 win, striking out five and walking two.

As proven by the performances of Quintana, Rowland and Quillian, the Tigers already knew that their starting pitching would keep them in games. Now that Boehle has established himself as a consistent force out of the bullpen, they know that their relief pitching can ensure the win.