Six fourth inning runs enough for baseball to down St. Johns

Under the lights in Jamaica, N.Y., on Tuesday night, the baseball team sunk its teeth into St. Johns, despite missing a couple of bicuspids. With a few players left home to catch up on schoolwork, the Tigers had no trouble weathering the Red Storm and coming out with a victory.

Princeton (22-18 overall, 12-4 Ivy League) notched win number 22 by defeating St. Johns (23-21, 9-8 Big East), 7-4, on the Red Storm's home field.

After two and a half scoreless innings, the Johnnies' Marc Wagner knocked a two-run home run out of the Ball Park at St. Johns, giving his team a 2-0 lead. But this was only the calm before the tempest that was to come in the top of the fourth, Princeton's next turn at bat.

With sophomore center fielder B.J. Szymanski at third and senior catcher Jon Miller on first, the St. Johns starting pitcher, graduate student Greg Holmes, uncorked a wild pitch. Miller moved to second and Szymanski scored on the errant throw.

The next spot in the lineup, cleanup, was occupied by junior designated hitter Tim Lahey. He came into the game with 10 home runs this season, eight more than any other player. He came out of the at-bat with 11 homers, the last a wallop over the right-center field wall, scoring two runs and putting the Tigers ahead one, 3-2. Sophomore right fielder Will Venable then doubled to left and was knocked in by a single off the bat of junior third baseman Ryan Reich, tying the game at four. Reich advanced to second on the throw.

Senior second baseman Mike Chernoff reached first on an infield single that did not move Reich over to third. This did not really matter, because freshman shortstop Matthew Becker sent them both home in the next at-bat. Becker doubled to center field, hitting the base of the wall and adding the last two runs of the fourth inning rally.

Sealing victory

The 6-2 lead Princeton took into the fifth inning was all it would need. Freshman pitcher Erik Stiller got his first win of the year by making only one mistake, the home run to Wagner. Stiller went six innings with eight strikeouts and only one walk. "Stiller had a terrific ball game," head coach Scott Bradley said. "We got some good, solid performances from some guys who will really have step up next year."

St. Johns manufactured a run in the bottom of the sixth inning when shortstop Mike Rozema got on base with a bunt single, stole second and advanced to third on an error by Miller. Rozema scored on a single by Jim Martin. In the bottom of the eighth, Rozema scored again, after a double and two sacrifice flies, making the score 6-4.

Junior left fielder Eric Fitzgerald added an insurance run with his third home run of the year, securing Princeton a 7-4 win.

"We try to play the most good teams we can get," Bradley said. "We only play five or six midweek games, and a lot of time we leave players back."

The Tigers went to N.Y. without starters such as sophomore first baseman Ryan Eldridge, junior second baseman Steve Young and junior closer Thomas Pauly.

Despite playing without such key members, Princeton was able to pound its way thanks to the opportunity that it gave the younger players — like Stiller and Becker — to show their stuff.