Getting by: Baseball takes one out of four to clinch Gehrig

One win. That's all the baseball team needed. A single win in a four-game series against Gehrig Division rival Cornell, and the Tigers would clinch the division title.

But the win just would not come easily.

"Coming into the weekend our confidence was pretty high," junior first baseman Andrew Hanson said. "We had beaten Penn all four games, and we thought we could definitely get a win off Cornell."

.But after two losses to the Big Red (13-24 overall, 11-9 Ivy League) on Friday, "a little bit of doubt began creeping into our minds," Hanson said.

That doubt was dispelled yesterday at Clarke Field as sophomore hurler Chris Young powered the Tigers (21-17, 13-7) to a 7-4 win over the visiting Big Red. Young fanned eight batters and gave up only two earned runs, spreading out eight hits over seven innings and improving his record to 4-0. Cornell did not get a run until the sixth inning.

"Our intensity was up today," Hanson said. "We played a lot better."

The Tigers tagged Cornell's John Osgood for 10 hits and seven runs — all earned — for the victory on the first game Sunday. With the win, the Tigers clinched their fifth straight Gehrig Division championship.

Princeton jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first when junior left fielder Jon Watterson scored off a double-play ball by junior right fielder Max Krance. The Tigers added two more runs in the next inning and three more in the fourth to solidify their lead. Sophomore shortstop Pat Boran and sophomore third baseman Eric Voelker each went 2 for 3, and sophomore designated hitter Ryan Achterberg went 2 for 2. The Tiger hitting came at opportune times, as Princeton stranded only five runners. It was the offense the Tigers had grown used to during their nine-game winning streak.

The Tigers tried to extend that streak when they travelled to Cornell on Friday. In the first game, Princeton kept it close the whole game in a 4-3 loss. Once again, Princeton out-slugged its opposition, 11-9, but left too many runners on base — eight runners to the Big Red's five. Senior Ryan Quillian pitched for six innings, registering five strikeouts.

The Tigers would not have nearly as much luck with their pitchers in the second game. Princeton lost the game, 23-3, and gave up 29 hits. The Tigers had an abysmal six hits and four errors.

"The score said it was 8-3, and the next time we looked it was 18-3," Hanson said. "It was just one of those games."

Nightcap

The Tigers would not allow themselves to be manhandled again in the second game of yesterday's doubleheader. While the Tigers outhit the Big Red, 14-11, Princeton stranded seven runners on base. Sophomore starting pitcher Tom Rowland gave up eight hits and eight runs in six innings.

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The Tigers jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first inning, but the Big Red buried Princeton in the third and fourth innings, getting seven runs off Rowland. Sophomore pitcher Chris Higgins would come in for relief in the seventh and eighth, giving up only two runs.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Tigers began to rally. After senior second baseman Jay Mitchell flied out to center, Achterberg singled to left, followed by a grounder up the middle by Boran to put men on first and second. Hanson reached first on the next at-bat off a Cornell error as Achterberg scored.

Krance then stepped up to the plate and cleared the bases for the Tigers. Krance sent a long ball into the bushes over the wall in left-center field, registering two RBIs and bringing the score to 11-10.

Cornell promptly relieved pitcher John Hardy with Jeff Miller, who proceeded to get senior catcher Buster Small to fly out to center, putting the Tigers one out away from another loss.

The Tigers kept their chances alive, however, as junior center fielder Mickey Martin reached second off a shot down the right field line, and junior third baseman Sean McNally drew a walk.

With the tying run on second and the winning run on first, Watterson stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter. With the count full, Watterson ended the game swinging and missing as the Tigers ended their rally just one run short.

Princeton will host the Ivy Championship Series against Dartmouth May 6-7.