Lack of consistency leads to 1-7 record over road trip

They have talent. They have experience. They have all the pieces necessary to put together a dominant stretch this season, but like an impossible jigsaw puzzle the edges of the pieces refuse to interlock smoothly.

The men's baseball team (4-11) limped back into town late last night, fresh off a 1-7 road trip, that was not exactly representative of the renewal, birth, and brotherhood that are supposed to arrive with spring. Princeton fought, it clawed, it showed flashes of brilliance, yet it couldn't combine the necessary components for success over nine innings on a consistent basis.

The trip got off to a rough start for the Tigers, who got swept in the doubleheader against Western Carolina (9-9). Senior pitcher Erik Stiller was on the mound for Princeton, and had looked very impressive in his previous start against Richmond. But Stiller allowed 10 runs on 11 hits over six innings pitched. Much of the blame for the runs, however, can be laid flatly on the backs of the defense: only three of the runs were earned. And the Tigers could only muster three runs of support, two coming in the seventh inning when the game was all but decided.

Senior catcher Zach Wendkos provided the only lead of the game with a leadoff solo shot at the top of the second, his third homer of the season.

The backside of the doubleheader played out much like the first, but this time, the Princeton offense roared to life, keeping the Tigers in the game. Junior pitcher Gavin Fabian took the mound, but didn't resemble the good form he showed in his last start. Fabian allowed six runs on 10 hits over three and two-thirds innings.

Western Carolina jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning after a solo shot and a double backed by a triple. Princeton managed to stop the bleeding momentarily and the hitting provided a much-needed momentum shift in the top of the third inning. Four singles put the Tigers on top 3-2.

In the bottom of the third and the fourth, however, the Catamounts chipped in a pair of runs twice, to push Princeton back into the whole by a score of 6-3. The Tigers would pick away over the course of the next couple of innings, eventually getting as close as 6-5 on senior outfielder Andrew Salini's sixth homer of the season.

Western Carolina sealed the deal, however, with a seven-run seventh inning that essentially put Princeton away.

The last game of the series should have been over after the fourth inning. Unfortunately for the Tigers, it wasn't.

Princeton took a 7-0 lead after the top of the fourth behind an all-out team effort. Contributors included Salini, Wendkos, and freshmen second baseman Dan Degeorge. Salini chipped in two doubles, driving in Degeorge on the second go-round after his two-out single. Wendkos also doubled and notched two RBIs as well.

Junior pitcher Eric Walz turned in a dominating performance, pitching six innings and allowing only one run, but he came away with a no decision as the Catamounts refused to give in.

Western Carolina came all the way back to tie the game 7-7 in the bottom of the ninth. Princeton broke the tie in the top of the twelfth with back-to-back doubles by Degeorge and senior shortstop Matthew Becker. The Tigers managed to load the bases, but failed to do any further damage. It was a missed opportunity that Princeton would soon come to regret.

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In the bottom of the twelfth, the Catamounts first tied and then decided to take the whole pie on a two-run walkoff home run. Sophomore reliever Stephen Miller took the loss, pitching five and a third innings while allowing six runs on seven hits.

Swept at the hands of Western Carolina, the Tigers headed to UNC Greensboro (8-14) with the hopes of avenging their poor start. And just like that, the offense disappeared.

The pitching, after a rough start, put together two respectable performances, allowing eight runs over the course of the two game series. The Tiger lineup, however, only managed to contribute four runs, which is not a winning combination.

Wendkos continued his hot streak after his 5 RBI performance in the last game against Western Carolina, driving in junior second baseman Aaron Prince twice, RBIs that would push Princeton to leads of 1-0 and 2-1. After the third inning, however, the offense went dormant, and a solid performance by Christian Staehely went to waste as he allowed only three runs on four hits over six innings. The Spartans sealed the deal with some scratch-it-out offense in the sixth. After a walk, a fielder's choice, a sac bunt, an infield single, and a sac fly, Greensboro came out on top 3-2, in what would turn out to be the final score.

Game two didn't go much better for the Tigers, as they quickly fell behind 3-0 after the first inning. They never really got into the game, as the Spartans pushed their lead to 4-0. Princeton pulled itself within two on two runs in the top of the sixth, but couldn't get any closer from that point forward. Becker and sophomore center fielder Micah Kaplan opened the inning with back-to-back singles and advanced on Prince's sacrifice bunt. Salini knocked in one run with a groundout, and another run scored on a Greensboro error.

The Tigers closed out their trip with a three game series against Navy (18-8-1), which has been playing extremely well to date. The first game turned out to be a pitcher's duel, as Stiller turned in his best performance of the season, allowing one run over seven innings. Navy's Matt McCoy also turned in a strong performance, allowing one run over eight and two-thirds innings.

Navy scratched out a run in the first inning, but couldn't touch Stiller from that point on. Princeton couldn't do anything against McCoy, who looked like he was going to finish off the Tigers until some last-minute heroics in the ninth inning.

Salini, who has been by far the most consistent bat in the Princeton lineup, proved to be the catalyst for a Tiger score yet again. Salini lead off with a double and advanced to third on Wendkos' groundout. Junior third baseman Sal Iacono knocked in Salini on an RBI double, but no one could bring Iacono home.

Navy would scratch out yet another run in the bottom of the tenth after Princeton went down in order in the top of the inning. A couple of hits, a sacrifice bunt, and a groundout drove home the final run, as the Tigers dropped their second extra inning game of the road trip.

Desperate to end its seven game losing streak, Princeton finally managed to break through in the middle game of the series.

Walz flashed his dominating potential with a brilliant performance on the mound, pitching seven innings while shutting down the Navy offense, picking up his first W of the season in the process.

The Tiger offense, on the other hand, picked up the only run it would need right from the get go, as freshman outfielder Derek Beckman lead off the first with a single. After a pair of groundouts, Wendkos notched yet another RBI as he drove Beckman home with a single.

Everything from that point forward was simply icing on the cake. Princeton did manage to add three runs to its lead over the course of the game, but Walz was on cruise control. He baffled the Navy hitters, striking out seven over the course of his performance.

Staehely took the mound for the rubber match of the series, and once again, he was impressive, eating up seven innings for the Tigers while fanning seven batters. He did allow two runs, but only one was earned, and his season ERA dipped to 2.14. Unfortunately, Staehely's brilliance was wasted yet again; as the Princeton offense slumbered through the course of the game.

The Tigers briefly managed to break through in the third inning with three hits by Degeorge, Wendkos, and Iacono, which netted them a two run lead, but one inning later, Navy dug in and rallied for the tie. A one out double sent home two batters, but one of the runners reached base on an error, one that would prove costly to Princeton's efforts to close out the road trip on a winning note.

The game reached a stall after the fifth, especially for the Tigers. Princeton failed to record a hit over the final five innings of the game and had only one base runner after their two-run fourth.

In the bottom of the ninth, however, Navy managed to pull itself together for a last ditch effort that came through. Junior reliever Michael Zaret took the loss after he allowed two walks and a run scoring double.

After all the miles, games, at bats, and pitches, the Tigers sit at 4-11 on the season after an abysmal 1-7 road trip. Not all is lost, however, as Princeton showed signs of immense potential over the course of the trip.

Stiller, Staehely, and Walz all recorded extremely impressive outings for the Tigers. Unfortunately, only Walz was able to notch a win, but all three looked extremely impressive over the course of the trip.

When the pitching was there, the runs weren't. When the runs were there, the pitching wasn't. With a little improvement on defense and a bit more consistency from the sides of the plate, this team has the potential to put together a dominating run.

Fortunately for Princeton, the spring break trip was only a warm up. It still has one more tuneup against Rutgers before they have to have everything pieced together for league play.

Make no doubt about it, the pieces are definitely there. All the Tigers have to do is put them together.