Struggling Tigers head to Brown, Yale

Last weekend, still seeking dependable bullpen arms and productive bats for the bottom half of the order, the men's baseball team was swept by Dartmouth and Harvard in a pair of home doubleheaders to open its Ivy League season.

As the Tigers (4-16-1 overall, 0-4 Ivy League) travel to face Brown (3-13, 3-1) and Yale (14-10, 3-1) tomorrow and Sunday, respectively, another week has been devoted to the search, but the same deficiencies that have doomed Princeton to its wretched start continue to make the immediate prospect of securing league wins unlikely.

Not only are the Tigers mired in a seven-game winless streak, but their foes this weekend are each heating up just in time for their returns home.

All three of the Bears' wins this season have been claimed over their last four games, and they should be eager to play their first game on their own field after rain cancelled what would have been their home opener Wednesday night. The Bulldogs will be looking forward to a 12-game homestand after playing 10 straight games on the road.

This is not, in other words, the type of powderpuff stretch of schedule that might allow Princeton to heal its numerous wounds and gain confidence from some easy wins. Nor has babying players ever been the custom of head coach Scott Bradley. The Tigers will be expected to continue growing as a team even as their record suffers from their inexperience.

Princeton, though, is now in the midst of its league season, and growth ideally might have come a little sooner.

The Tigers have yet to find a suitable closer, as sophomore righthander Steven Miller, who handled the job in the preseason, has struggled to the tune of a 5.89 earned run average, an 0-5 record and just one save. None of Miller's mates in the bullpen have exactly distinguished themselves in the race to replace him either, with each sporting ERAs at or above the 4.00 mark.

Princeton hitters have also struggled to fill the void in the lineup that surrounds the ever-dependable trio of junior second baseman Aaron Prince, senior third baseman Zach Wendkos and senior rightfielder Andrew Salini, each of whose batting averages are well over .300.

Three freshmen who have been thrust into critical roles for Princeton — leftfielder Andrew Doupe, centerfielder Derek Beckman and designated hitter Adrian Turnham — have struggled mightily in supporting their upperclassman teammates, but each is currently batting under .200.

More surprisingly, the Tigers have received only minimal contributions from junior catcher Sal Iacono and senior first baseman Stephen Wendell. Both were being counted on for improved offensive production heading into the season, but they have mustered just 10 runs batted between them while batting a combined .208.

A handsome reward will be waiting for all of Princeton's struggling hitters, however, when they travel to Brown on Saturday to play on Aldrich Dexter Field.

"Their ballpark is a very, very hitter-friendly place," Bradley said. "It's a little bowl set way down there, and the wind always seems to be blowing out."

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For Tiger hurlers, that should mean not only more support, but also a distinct challenge posed by the unusual field conditions. Bradley plans to start senior righthander Erik Stiller and junior righty Eric Walz against the Bears for this very reason, anticipating a potential shootout.

"Those guys are competitors," Bradley said. "I know that if they give up some runs early, they'll hang in there and be tough enough to keep us in the game."

Second baseman Bryan Tews and first baseman Jeff Dietz — hitting .459 and .426, respectively — lead the charge for a Brown team with an Ivy-best .318 team batting average.

Right behind the Bears in that category is the Yale team that Princeton will visit for a doubleheader on Sunday. Like Princeton, the Bulldogs finished last season with a league record of 10-10, but the theme of their season thus far has been improvement rather than rebuilding. Led by first baseman Marc Sawyer — who extended his hitting streak to 13 games with six hits in a sweep of a doubleheader against Penn last Sunday — Yale combines to bat .288 as a team.

"They're solid," Bradley said, citing Sawyer as a top threat. "That's probably the best way to describe them."

Princeton will be served well by jumping right into the mix with Yale and Brown and seeing if any of that solidity might rub off.