Red Storm sweeps by Princeton

Standard baseball strategy dictates that a manager let his starting pitcher work his way out of jams rather than removing him at the first sign of trouble. In last night's matchup with the baseball team, however, a quick hook made all the difference for host St. John's.

The Tigers (12-22 overall, 8-8 Ivy League) traveled to Jamaica, N.Y., last night hoping to grab an out-of-conference win and boost their confidence going into their crucial Ivy League showdown with Cornell this weekend, but they left with a 6-3 defeat.

The Red Storm (26-12) lifted starting pitcher Miguel Valcarcel in the fourth inning after he ceded doubles to junior outfielder Spencer Lucian and sophomore catcher Adrian Turnham in consecutive at-bats. Valcarcel had pitched three scoreless innings up until that point, but his prior success didn't stop St. John's manager Ed Blankmeyer from calling on pitcher Nick Cenatiempo immediately after Turnham's two-bagger, which made the score 2-1 in favor of St. John's.

The move did not pay immediate dividends; Cenatiempo induced a quick groundout that gave Turnham the opportunity to advance to third and then threw a wild pitch that allowed Turnham to tie the score. Cenatiempo settled down, however, ultimately allowing no earned runs and only two hits over four innings. Cenatiempo also punched out three Tigers batters on his way to earning the win for the Red Storm.

Princeton received good news out of Ithaca, N.Y., earlier in the day, though, as second-place Cornell split its doubleheader with Gehrig Division-leading Penn. Now, if the Tigers win all four of their games against the Big Red this weekend, they will tie the Quakers for the division title and force a one-game playoff for an Ivy League Championship berth.

"If we can win games, it'll keep us alive, and that's all we ask for," manager Scott Bradley said. "We're still breathing."

Against the Red Storm, Princeton's offense never picked up steam. After the two runs in the fourth, the Tigers' only serious threat came in the seventh. Sophomore shortstop Dan DeGeorge doubled to left center with one out, then advanced to third on a passed ball. Sophomore outfielder Derek Beckman hit a grounder to the first baseman for the second out of the inning, but by putting the ball in play, Beckman drove in his sixth run of the season.

St. John's never managed to get a big inning against Princeton's pitching staff, but the Red Storm steadily wore away at the Tigers' hurlers.

"They have probably the best program in the Northeast," Bradley said of St. John's. "It was a good, clean game."

Freshman left-handed pitcher Langford Stuber threw three workmanlike innings in his first career start, ceding two runs — one earned — on two hits and two walks.

"We tried to get some different guys out there," Bradley said, citing the crucial series coming up against Cornell. "We tried not to pitch guys too long."

Stuber ran into early trouble against the top of the St. John's order. Leadoff hitter Chris Joachim singled up the middle on the second pitch he saw and proceeded to steal second. Joachim then advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a weak grounder.

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Stolen and unearned bases were one of the key factors in St. John's victory. In the third inning, Red Storm shortstop Jeff Grantham reached on an error by senior second baseman Aaron Prince, then stole second base. Third baseman Gil Zayas struck a double to left center to score Grantham two batters later, putting St. John's up 2-0.

Freshman righthander Jon Broscious came on in relief of Stuber in the fourth inning. Broscious ran into bad luck immediately, with several balls making their way through the infield.

Red Storm outfielders Chris Anninos and Michael Aicardi both found gaps in the left side of the infield for singles, and Grantham singled to right field one batter later to collect both RBI.

Grantham's single would prove to be the game-winning hit, putting St. John's up 4-2. Joachim and Zayas came back to hurt the Tigers again in the later innings, driving in their team's final two runs.

In a game where pitchers seemed to be popping in and out faster than performers getting hooked in a vaudeville act, consistent Red Storm hitting — and Princeton's silent bats — ultimately made the difference.