The wins improved Princeton’s record to 3-2 overall. The Tigers came close to sweeping the Tribe (4-7), taking a 7-6 lead into the ninth inning in the first game on Saturday. But William & Mary scored the tying run in the bottom of the ninth and kept the game alive for an eventual Tribe win in extra innings.
Last weekend’s games were a prelude to the team’s upcoming spring break road trip, in which Princeton will play 11 games in nine days.
“To come down and win a series and take three out of four from a team like William & Mary that comes out of a good conference [is big],” head coach Scott Bradley said. “I’m very pleased with the performance this weekend.”
On Friday, the Tigers jumped to a 1-0 lead early in the second inning after senior infielder Adrian Turnham reached base on a walk and scored on a fielder’s choice. It appeared that the Tigers would break the game open in the top of the fifth inning, when junior designated hitter David Hale knocked in three runs on a bases-loaded double and extended Princeton’s lead to 5-0.
William & Mary ate away at the lead, however, grabbing two runs off sophomore starting pitcher Dan Barnes in the bottom of the fifth and adding another in the sixth.
Sophomore infielder Greg Van Horn’s home run in the top of the seventh gave Princeton a 6-3 lead, but the Tribe didn’t stop its assault, scoring a run in the eighth and finally tying the game at six in the ninth.
The score remained tied until the top of the 11th inning, when Van Horn knocked in senior outfielder Derek Beckman to give Princeton a 7-6 lead. Junior catcher Jack Murphy knocked in Van Horn to make it 8-6, and sophomore pitcher Matt Grabowski closed out the game for the win.
Saturday’s doubleheader brought Hale to the mound and found Princeton down early, 4-0, largely because of two Tiger errors.
“Defensively, it’s not like fielding ground balls on Astroturf or on FieldTurf, like our indoor facility has,” Bradley said. “It was the first game we played on grass, so we expect that.”
William & Mary was in front 6-3 when junior outfielder Jon Broscious hit a grand slam to give Princeton the 7-6 lead. But the Tigers could not hold on, as William & Mary scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to force the game into extra innings.
Sophomore pitcher Tim Fees surrendered two runs in the bottom of the 11th inning to give William & Mary the victory.
The second game of Saturday’s doubleheader ended with a better result for the Tigers, as Princeton came away with a 7-4 victory. With the game tied at two in the fifth, junior outfielder Brian Berkowitz came to the plate with the bases loaded and knocked the fourth pitch of his at-bat out of the park. Berkowitz’ shot gave the Tigers a 6-2 lead that they never relinquished. Hale added another run on a double in the seventh inning as Princeton came away with the win.
Sunday’s game proved far less competitive than the previous three games were. The Tigers got to the William & Mary pitchers early, scoring seven runs in the second inning. Berkowitz’ second-inning two-run home run, his second home run of the weekend, started the scoring and gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
The lead was quickly extended to five after a double from freshman infielder Sam Mulroy knocked in a run, and a wild pitch and groundout added two more. Senior infielder Dan DeGeorge and Hale added two more runs off hits to make the score 7-0. From there, Princeton coasted to a 10-5 win, the only late-game blemish a meaningless two-run homer given up by Grabowski in the ninth.
“Four guys hit home runs this weekend,” Bradley said. “We got hits from a lot of different spots in the lineup.”
The biggest loss from last weekend’s play was an apparent injury to Van Horn’s hand. During an at-bat in Saturday’s first game, Van Horn was hit in the hand on a foul ball. He continued to play and later hit a homer in that game, but his hand swelled up, and the sophomore was forced to sit out the next two games. Van Horn will see a doctor this week to determine if it is just a bruise or if he broke a bone.
“Van Horn is arguably our best offensive player,” Bradley said. “His status is a big question mark.”
Next, the Tigers will take on Norfolk State in Norfolk, Va., in another four-game series this upcoming weekend. Then, Princeton will have a quick turnaround, facing UNC on the road in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Tuesday, March 17, and Wednesday, March 18, before battling North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C., on March 19.
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