At Clarke Field, baseball avenges losses to Lions

Good teams are the ones that are able to come out on top in their must-win games. While it's still too early to say just how good the baseball team is this year, the Tigers did come away with a pair of wins on Wednesday afternoon — a pair of wins they needed to stay in contention for the Ivy League title.

After heavy rainfall postponed a doubleheader with Columbia on Sunday, the Lions (12-21-1 overall, 7-9 Ivy League) returned to Princeton on Wednesday to finish off the four-game set. Though the Tigers (10-19, 6-6) dropped the first two games of the series Saturday, they were able to make good use of the delay, regrouping to sweep Wednesday's doubleheader.

"[The postponement] worked in our advantage," senior third baseman Sal Iacono said. "Columbia had to come back out [to Princeton], so for them it's a little more of an ordeal."

"With the season winding down, we really had to win those games," he added.

In the first game of the day, the Tigers put on an offensive show, defeating Columbia 11-5 and recording 13 hits, nine of which went for extra bases. In fact, the Tigers set a team record with eight doubles, one more than their previous best. Leading the onslaught of doubles was freshman first baseman Brian Berkowitz, who tied a Princeton record with three.

Though the Lions struck first, scoring a run in the top of the first inning, it didn't take long for Princeton to put the game away. After a couple hits, two walks and an error, Iacono hit his fourth home run of the season to cap a five-run barrage in the bottom of the second. The Tigers added another run the following inning, extending their lead to 6-1. The lead proved to be enough for freshman starter David Hale, who, despite not having his best stuff, allowed only two earned runs in five innings. With the victory, Hale improved to 2-2 on the season.

Columbia mounted comeback attempts in both the fifth and sixth innings, scoring a pair of runs in each frame. The Tigers, however, were able to keep the game out of the Lions' reach, adding three runs in the fifth and two in the sixth. Sophomore righthander Brad Gemberling finished the final two innings for Princeton, though his team-leading earned run average rose to a still-impressive 1.76.

What the first game lacked in drama, the nightcap more than made up for. Though the Tigers never trailed in the game, Columbia remained close, forcing Princeton to win in its final at-bat.

The Tigers jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage off solo home runs by senior second baseman Aaron Prince and sophomore rightfielder Andrew Doupe. Princeton extended its lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth, but the Lions would not go away without a fight. Columbia added two unearned runs against senior righthander Eric Walz, who finished the game with no earned runs, six hits, four walks and no strikeouts in seven innings. Down 4-3 heading into the ninth inning, Columbia managed a run off freshman southpaw Langford Stuber before junior righthander Steven Miller got the final two outs.

In the bottom of the ninth, two of the day's heroes, Iacono and sophomore designated hitter Adrian Turnham, sent Princeton fans home happy. After Iacono doubled down the third-base line, Turnham sent a walk-off single through the right side to give the Tigers a much-needed 5-4 victory.

"I was able to swing the bat well in both games, which is always nice," Turnham said. "As for the game-winning hit, I really love being in those high pressure situations. I was able to recognize a high changeup, and Sal's speed did the rest."

The walk-off hit marked Turnham's fifth of the day, including three in the nightcap. Miller got the win, improving his record to 2-4.

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Wednesday's games were certainly a turnaround for the Tigers, having come up short last Saturday against the Lions.

"They were must-win games," Turnham agreed. "We still have some work to do to win our division, but hopefully those games will help us get on a roll."

Next up for the Tigers is a trip to Philadelphia to face Gehrig Division-leading Penn.

"We expect to win at least three of four games," Turnham said. "We really don't have any margin for error given the standings. With our pitching staff and the way we swung the bats on Wednesday, I'm confident that we're going to come out and play well against Penn."