Seton Hall tops baseball, 14-9

The baseball team traveled to South Orange, NJ yesterday to take on Seton Hall in out-of-conference action. Although both teams managed 14 hits, the Pirates pulled out a victory over the Tigers, 14-9.

Senior right-hander Chris Higgins started for Princeton, going three innings. He allowed six hits and gave up three runs. However, Higgins' relief, sophomore left-hander Nathan Miller, gave up four runs in only one and a third inning pitched.

The Tigers would go through five more pitchers in the losing effort.

Seton Hall's pitching staff stumbled early on, giving up eight runs in the first five innings. But it came alive later on, shutting down Princeton's offense. It would only give up one more run the rest of the game.

Early on, sophomore right fielder Ryan Reich and freshman first baseman Ryan Eldridge had three RBI apiece, batting in two-thirds of the Tigers' total runs. It was not enough to counter the Pirates' strong defense.

After last night's loss, the Tigers will get ready to take on Lou Gehrig Division rival Columbia in New York this weekend in a four-game series. Princeton, now 13-17 overall and 8-4 in the Ivy League, sits one spot below the Lions (16-15, 6-2) in the Gehrig Division.

After holding onto the No. 1 spot for much of the early part of the season, the Tigers dropped after losing a game apiece to Yale and Brown last weekend. Needless to say, wins over Columbia could put the Tigers back on top with only a four-game series against Cornell left in League play.

"We must play solid baseball as a team for the entire weekend," freshman southpaw Jason Vaughan said. A key matchup this weekend will take place on the mound. Columbia's Matt Waldman pitched a complete game victory last weekend against Dartmouth to earn him a spot on the Ivyleaguesports.com Honor Roll.

In the other dugout is Vaughan (3-1 on the season), also earning a spot on the Honor Roll after pitching a four-hit shutout against Brown last weekend. Vaughan was also named New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association Co-Pitcher of the Week for his performance, adding to the impressive list of accolades for the freshman. He has not allowed an earned run in the last 18.1 innings he has pitched, lowering his ERA to 4.86 on the season.

"This weekend is just another game where I have to go out and do my job," Vaughan said.

But more important than the pitching matchup is what the Tigers will be able to get done at the plate. Senior shortstop Pat Boran picked up the big bat last weekend, sending two out of the park in the Tigers' win over the Bears. He finished 5-for-18 on the weekend with six RBI. Boran's batting average this year sits at .321, leading the team. But Princeton is not known for its homeruns—having only gone yard six times this year.

The team is more known for its situational hitting, getting runners on bases and then bringing them in with smart base-running and strategic hits, usually singles or doubles. The team's high batting averages exhibit the team's ability to put the ball in play and get on base, something the Tigers will need to do to be successful against Columbia.