It feels good to be in the driver's seat.
Locked in a first-place tie with Penn in the Lou Gehrig Division of the Ivy League, the baseball team (18-16 overall, 10-2 Ivy League) traveled to Philadelphia to play a four-game series on the Quakers' home turf.
Despite dropping a heartbreaking 8-7 decision in the first game, the Tigers took the next three games by the scores of 6-2, 3-0, and 4-2, respectively, to come out on top in the series and take the lead in the Ivy League race.
"It was a big weekend for us," senior pitcher Mark Siano said. "Our season came down to that weekend. Everyone knew they had to play their best to win, extend the season, and have a chance at the Ivy League championship, which has been our goal."
Siano and fellow senior pitchers David Boehle and Ryan Quillian all recorded wins in their respective starts, holding an offensively strong Penn team to two or fewer runs in each of the last three games.
Prior to this series, the Quakers (19-14, 10-6) had averaged almost 10 runs per game in their Ivy League contests, and led the league with a .309 team batting average.
Things didn't start out so smoothly for the Tigers, as Penn's offense quickly jumped on sophomore pitcher Ross Ohlendorf in the first of four games. Ohlendorf needed a little help from sophomore left fielder Adam Balkan, who threw out a runner trying to score at the plate, to keep the Quakers off the scoreboard in the first inning.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, the Quakers managed to score runs in every other inning in the seven-inning contest.
Despite this, Penn never managed to build a sizeable lead, and in the top of the final inning, Princeton managed to score two runs off a bases-loaded single by freshman outfielder Andy Salini to tie the ball game and keep the team's hopes alive.
With the score tied at seven, the Tigers handed the ball over to junior reliever Thomas Pauly to shut down the Quakers, and send the game into extra innings.
D'OH!
Pauly struck out the first two batters before Penn's Matt Horn sat on an 0-1 fastball and hit it over the right field fence for a walk-off home run.
Pauly was credited with his first loss of the season. It was only the third earned run that he has given up so far this season.
Even with the 8-7 setback in the first game, the Tigers did not get down on themselves.
"We had the same thing happen two years ago," Siano explained. "We were at Penn, and lost a close first game, but came back to win the next three. We've been there before, and we were confident."
Boehle made the start in the second game of the series, pitching a complete game while scattering six hits and giving up only two runs. He struck out nine in the 6-2 win.
Most of the Tigers' offense came in the seventh inning, and was ignited by junior left fielder Eric Fitzgerald's single to third base.
Junior second baseman Steve Young followed up by getting hit by a pitch. Sophomore center fielder B.J. Szymanski brought both of them home with a two-run triple. Szymanski then scored on senior third baseman Jon Miller's sacrifice fly.
Ryan Quillian pitched a gem in the third game of the series, registering a complete game shutout against the Quakers. Quillian allowed only three hits and struck out eight batters in the contest.
Young and senior shortstop Matt Chernoff teamed up to provide most of the offense in Princeton's 3-0 win. Young singled to drive in Chernoff in the third and seventh innings.
In the final game of the series, Siano pitched five innings and Pauly came on to finish the last four innings in the Tigers' 4-2 victory.
Both pitchers gave up one run, and the Tiger offense picked up just enough runs for the victory.
Sophomore first baseman Ryan Eldridge and sophomore designated hitter Will Venable both homered in the contest. It was Venable's first home run of the season.
In a battle between Princeton's powerful pitching staff and Penn's outstanding offense, it was the dominant defense that came out on top.
Princeton now has just eight games left in the regular Ivy League season. If Penn wins the four games left in their schedule, the Tigers must win five of the eight games to clinch the Gehrig Division title and have a shot at achieving their goal of reclaiming the Ivy League crown.
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