Princeton looks to cushion Gehrig lead

This weekend will be an important one for the baseball team, as the Tigers (13-18 overall, 7-5 Ivy League) look to take advantage of a four-game homestand against Ivy opponent Columbia (4-29, 2-14) and cushion their lead in the Lou Gehrig division.

Penn (11-22, 7-9) will be the main competition for Princeton, as the Quakers currently sit in second place. They are followed by Cornell (11-16, 5-7) while Columbia limps in at fourth and last in the division.

The Tigers can't help but hope for a four-game sweep, as the Lions have struggled all season. Thus far they have accumulated only two conference wins, which makes up half of their regular season total of four.

Most recently, they have dropped nine of their last 10, picking up one victory against Cornell.

Columbia's offense has struggled all year, something the Princeton pitching staff is no doubt looking to exploit. Only three players have batting averages above .300, and the team's batting average is nearly .100 points below that of its opponents.

The Tigers will bring out their top pitchers against the Lions, led by junior Erik Stiller, who holds a 5-1 record with a very solid 2.83 earned-run average. In Stiller's last outing, he picked up the win, throwing six innings and giving up four earned runs against Penn.

"He is constantly keeping hitters off balance by changing speeds and throwing strikes," junior leftfielder Andrew Salini said. "[Zach] Wendkos also calls a very smart game behind home plate, which is something that should not go overlooked."

The Columbia pitching staff has also struggled throughout the season. Sporting an ERA of 3.32, Billy Purdy leads the Lions, but he has only been able to earn a victory once, while dropping four.

The Princeton offense will look to assert its dominance over the weaker opponent. Led by Salini, who has been virtually unstoppable at the plate all season and currently holds a .426 average, the Tigers should be able to pile on runs and hits. Salini also has added five home runs, good enough for third on the team, while leading Princeton in doubles with eight. He has driven in 24 runs as well to lead the Tigers in the RBI category.

Senior centerfielder Will Venable and junior designated hitter Ryan Eldridge are the next two most potent offensive threats. Eldridge leads the Tigers with seven dingers, while Venable has hit six. Venable is hitting .410, which is second on the team, while Eldridge is hitting .322.

This power duo has been huge for Princeton, but it does not end with just those two.

"Having the power threat in the lineup is definitely a big positive," Salini said. "We have guys up and down the lineup that can hit home runs. Venable and Pipes [Eldridge] have stepped up huge this season but so has Stephen Wendell."

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Wendell has picked up his game significantly, as the junior first baseman has hit four homers for the Tigers.

The staff, despite its struggles, is still a quality unit and has proven to be competitive all season. A comparison of statistics shows that Columbia is actually rather similar to Princeton in several categories.

The Lions have been completely incapable of winning the close games. Their schedule is full of oneor two-run games, all of which have resulted in losses for Columbia.

The four games at home are a nice break for the Tigers, who recently have played four games at Penn, two at Harvard and two at Dartmouth. That stretch finally came to an end, starting with a midweek home game against St. John's on Tuesday.