Baseball wins three of twelve Spring Break games

Heading into Spring Break, the baseball team needed to gather experience before the beginning of the Ivy season. The Tigers went 3-9 over break, but got plenty of experience, winning two of five games at Coastal Carolina, losing both games of a doubleheader at UNC-Wilmington, and dropping two of three games at Duke. The road trip then ended on a sour note as the Tigers were swept by Delaware in a doubleheader yesterday.

Princeton (4-12) started off the trip with a five-game series at Coastal Carolina, March 17-19. In the first game, the Tigers quieted the Chanticleers, 18-8.

Trailing 4-2 going into the top of the fourth inning of that game, Princeton staged a rally to take control. Junior outfielders Eric Voelker and Ryan Achterberg walked to lead off the inning. Senior Jon Watterson doubled, scoring both players to tie the score at four. Watterson advanced to third on junior shortstop Pat Boran's bunt, and gave the Tigers the lead on senior first baseman Andrew Hanson's sacrifice fly.

Then the Tiger bats put the game away, scoring 11 runs in the eighth and ninth innings. In the ninth inning, nine singles led to eight Princeton runs, putting the game well out of reach. Boran, Hanson, and senior Max Krance each had two singles in the inning.

Krance went 6-for-7 in the game, tying Hanson's Princeton record for most hits in a game. Hanson set the record last season against Columbia.

Sophomore Mark Siano pitched the final four innings of the game and got the win. After giving up the two-run home run in the sixth, Siano allowed only one run in the bottom of the ninth.

The second game of the day started out well for Princeton, as a single from Boran scored Hanson and Watterson, giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead. But Chanticleer starter gave up only three more hits over the next six innings while walking one and striking out seven. Coastal Carolina went on to win, 7-2.

The next day produced another split. Junior right hander Chris Higgins threw a complete game, allowing two earned runs over nine innings. Higgins threw 127 pitches, 76 for strikes. Coastal Carolina's only two runs came off of solo homers from Randy McGarvey and Powell.

Princeton scored all four of its runs in the sixth inning. Boran led off the inning with a single, and Hanson walked. Both advanced on a wild pitch and scored when pitcher Erin Jones tried to pick off Boran at third. Krance singled, advanced on an error by the first baseman, and scored on Voelker's sacrifice bunt. Senior Casey Hildreth walked and eventually scored on another wild pitch.

Once again, the Tigers' offense was shut down in the second game. Coastal Carolina's Scott Sturkie allowed one run on two hits, striking out 12. Sturkie struck out the side three times in the seven-inning game.

In the deciding game of the five-game series, Princeton fell, 8-4. Watterson had three straight hits, but Coastal starter Seamus Donovan, in his first start after being sidelined with Tommy John surgery last season, allowed no runs over four innings.

After dropping a doubleheader to UNC-Wilmington Wednesday, Princeton traveled to Durham, N.C., to round out the Carolina part of its roadtrip with a three-game series against Duke.

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"It was good to get some experience in close competitive games," Hanson said. "After months of preparation, it was nice for everyone to get some experience."

The Tigers snapped a four-game losing streak with an 8-5 victory over the Blue Devils in game one.

Princeton jumped out to a 2-0 lead on three straight singles by Watterson, Hanson, and Boran to start the game. Watterson scored on Hanson's single, and Krance's sacrifice fly scored Boran.

Princeton extended the lead to 3-1 in the top of the third when Boran's RBI single scored Watterson. The lead was pushed to 8-2 on five unearned runs in the sixth inning. Hanson reached on an error before relief pitcher Justin Dulucchio walked three out of the next four batters. Voelker scored Hanson and a sacrifice fly, and senior second baseman Tim Phillips cleared the bases with a triple to extend the lead.

But Duke was not done. The Tiger lead was cut to 8-5 by the end of the eighth inning. But in the ninth, Hildreth, the starting catcher, took the mound. He struck out leadoff hitter Kevin Kelly. JD Alleva flew out to center field, Troy Caradonna grounded out to Hanson, Hildreth got his first career save, and Princeton had an 8-5 win.

Princeton then finished its busy week by being swept by Delaware, 4-2, in the first game and 10-4 in the nightcap. Higgins pitched a complete game in the first contest picking up the loss, while freshman Nathan Miller was the losing pitcher in the second game for the Tigers.