Tigers get it going in Gehrig

If the mark of a good team is one that can handle lesser squads with relative ease and mastery, this weekend will be a telling one for the Princeton baseball team (8-16-0 Overall, 4-4 Ivy League). Currently sitting at fifth in the Ivy League and third in the Lou Gehrig Division, the Tigers have an opportunity to make up ground on Saturday and Sunday with two consecutive home doubleheaders against Columbia (10-19-1, 5-7).

This is not to say, however, that this weekend's four games should be taken lightly. Although the Lions enter this weekend's action sixth in the Ivy League and riding a six-game losing streak — which includes two losses at both Yale (10-19-0, 3-5) and Brown (10-12-0, 5-3) — Columbia boasts a lineup of talent that cannot be overlooked.

"We take every game seriously," junior outfielder Spencian Lucian said. "Whenever we play an in-conference opponent, the games have more significance."

The Lions are led by a tandem of standout right-handed batters: senior outfielder Andrew Ward and sophomore first baseman Ron Williams. Ward leads Columbia with three homeruns, 28 RBI and 60 total bases, but the younger Williams has paced the team all year. Batting .350 heading into this weekend, Williams also leads his team with 20 runs and 43 hits.

The Columbia pitching staff has struggled at times this season, but is more than capable of dominating games. Freshman reliever Clay Bartlett's 3.86 ERA leads the team, and junior starter Bill Purdy, the Lions' ace, is currently 3-3 with an ERA of 4.56.

Although they are coming off of Tuesday's 8-3 loss to Monmouth (15-10-1), the Tigers' last Ivy League game was a perfect example of what the team needs to do to be successful. In that contest, a 12-4 victory over Dartmouth (5-17-0, 2-6), Princeton was able to overcome an early deficit and then mixed solid pitching with timely hitting to produce the blowout.

"We swung the bats well," Lucian said. "That's the kind of game we know we can play."

A number of Tigers will come into Saturday's game riding hot streaks, but none more so than sophomore shortstop Dan DeGeorge, who went 7-8 with two runs and an RBI in last Saturday's doubleheader against Harvard.

Senior catcher Sal Iacono, undoubtedly Princeton's most consistent hitter, is currently batting .404, the third best average in the Ivy League. Iacono is also tops on the team with 23 RBI and 38 hits. Freshman leftfielder Greg Van Horn has also excelled at the plate this season. Van Horn is currently batting .378 with 20 runs scored and is a perfect seven for seven in stolen base attempts.

These four home games will allow the Tigers to cycle through all four of their starters — senior Eric Walz, juniors Christian Staehely and Steven Miller, and freshman David Hale — each of whom is crucial in leading Princeton to victory. Walz is currently 2-0, the Tigers' only undefeated starter, but Miller has been the team's most effective pitcher, boasting a 3.55 ERA while averaging a strikeout per inning.

Princeton's pitching started out slowly, which frequently happens due to the fact that the Tigers start later than other teams.

"We've been indoors since November," Lucian said. "It takes a couple of weeks to get into form."

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On paper, the Tigers have the stronger team, but for Princeton to be successful this weekend, it must stay patient and let its talent and depth show through. Columbia has given up ten or more runs eleven different times this year, including a 24-1 loss to St. Johns and a 12-0 loss to Penn (13-14-0, 7-5), so it will also be crucial for the Tiger bats to take advantage of a vulnerable pitching staff.

Most of all, however, Princeton will need to show that it is the better team both at the plate and on the field. The goal for this season, like all seasons past, is an Ivy League Championship, and in a league this competitive, that means taking care of business and beating lesser teams when they visit for four straight games on a mid-April weekend.