Baseball: Pitching shines in weekend split

With an inexperienced lineup that lost a lot to graduation last year, the baseball team knew that its hopes of contending for the Ivy League title rested on its pitching and defense. In the first weekend of league play, Princeton’s run prevention came through. The Tigers allowed just 12 runs in 38 innings en route to a solid 2-2 start to conference play.

Princeton (7-15 overall, 2-2 Ivy League) opened the weekend with a two-game set against Harvard (7-13, 2-2). The Tigers took the first 4-3 in 12 innings, on a walk-off single by senior second baseman Noel Gonzales-Luna, before succumbing 4-2 in the nightcap. On Sunday, Princeton shut out defending champion Dartmouth (8-10, 2-2) 2-0 in the opener, but lost the second 5-4 in 10 innings.

Junior starter Dan Barnes had one of the best outings of his career on Saturday. Barnes was coming off a rocky start at Santa Clara in which he walked six hitters in three-and-two-thirds innings, but the righthander was back on track for the Ivy League opener. Barnes pitched into the 10th inning and allowed only two runs, striking out seven and walking just one batter.

“I thought Danny [Barnes] really made some good adjustments this week,” head coach Scott Bradley said. “He struggled in Santa Clara with his command and was overthrowing a bit. But he stayed within himself [against Harvard], and in the sixth through eighth innings, his stuff was as good as it was early on.”

All four of Princeton’s starting pitchers this weekend notched a quality start, allowing for a quartet of close, low-scoring ballgames.

The first game was scheduled for seven innings, but it took nearly twice that to resolve the contest. Princeton struck first in the bottom of the fourth, when a double by junior outfielder Brandon Englert sparked a two-out rally. The Tigers would put up two runs in the frame, capped by freshman first baseman John Mishu’s triple. But the Crimson answered with a pair of runs of their own in the top of the fifth inning.

Each team was held scoreless in the sixth and seventh, and the defenses would continue to prevail in extra innings. Barnes refused to tire, striking out the side in the eighth inning even as his pitch count approached triple digits. But Harvard reliever Will Keuper threw just as well, holding Princeton without a hit in five innings of work.

“I felt stronger and looser as the game was going on, which is a good sign for the rest of the year,” Barnes said. “I’ve been working on trying to go after hitters and let them make contact, because our defense is really good this year.”

Barnes started the 10th inning but was pulled after allowing a leadoff single to Crimson shortstop Sean O’Hara. Junior reliever Matt Grabowski immediately erased the runner when first baseman Dan Zailskas flew out to right field on a hit-and-run, allowing senior Jon Broscious to double up O’Hara at first.

Harvard finally broke the scoreless streak in the top of the 12th inning. Jeff Reynolds smacked an 0-2 pitch to deep centerfield for a double and advanced to third on a deep fly ball by designated hitter Marcus Way. Gonzales-Luna, playing on the grass, was able to snare a grounder up the middle by catcher Tyler Albright. But the second baseman’s throw home bounced in the dirt, too slow to catch Reynolds at the plate.

The Crimson still had runners on first and third with one out, but Grabowski induced a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.

Princeton carried that momentum into its final at-bat, when Mishu led off with a line-drive single to center field. Sophomore third baseman Andrew Whitener advanced his teammate to second with a sacrifice bunt, forcing the Crimson to bring in freshman righthander Joey Novak. The Tigers took advantage of the rookie’s command issues, drawing a pair of walks and loading the bases.

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Harvard brought in its third pitcher of the inning, Dan Berardo, to face Gonzales-Luna. The senior redeemed himself with a ground ball through the left side that easily scored Mishu and freshman utility Alex Flink.

“I was just up there, just trying to work back up the middle and put the barrel on the ball,” Gonzales-Luna said. “He ended up leaving a fastball away, and I went with it.”

In Saturday’s nightcap, junior David Palms pitched a quality start, allowing three runs in six innings. But Harvard lefthander Eric Eadington was even better, scattering eight hits while only walking one in eight innings. Jon Broscious, starting the nightcap at designated hitter, went two-for-4-four with a double and a home run and scored both Princeton runs, but the rest of the Princeton hitters struggled to make good contact.

“[Eadington] pitched very well,” Bradley said. “He’s sneaky: He kind of lulls you to sleep with his delivery, and all of a sudden his fastball gets on you a little bit quicker.”

Palms held Harvard’s second, third and fourth hitters to just one hit in 14 at-bats, but was hurt badly by the bottom of the lineup. Albright reached base in all four of his plate appearances from the No. 5 spot and scored three times. Second baseman Kyle Larrow drove Albright in twice, and O’Hara added a two-run dinger.

The following day, Dartmouth, the defending Ivy League champion, came to town for a doubleheader. The Big Green offense ranked second in the league in non-conference play with a .310 batting average and scored 16 runs the day before at Cornell, but the Tiger pitching held tough.

Freshman starter Zak Hermans came into the first game sporting a 10.31 ERA, but justified Bradley’s faith in him by pitching six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and one walk. Fellow freshman Matt Bowman came in for the seventh frame to earn the save.

“I’ve been struggling some in my first couple starts, but it was great to have my pitches working,” Hermans said. “It was great to get my first win of the season and, more importantly, a win in the Ivy League.”

Senior designated hitter Brian Berkowitz was Princeton’s main source of offense in the win. In three at-bats, Berkowitz doubled twice and hit a homer to right field. The senior’s second double led off the sixth inning, allowing a pinch runner, junior Matt Connor, to score an insurance run on a Broscious single.

Senior lefthander Langford Stuber started the final game of the weekend and provided the Tigers with a fourth quality start, going seven innings and giving up just three runs. Princeton went up 2-1 in the bottom of the second inning on a leadoff home run by Flink, who hit five-for-nine on the weekend. But the Big Green took the lead back in the top of the third on a two-run single by Jim Wren.

Dartmouth retained a 3-2 advantage until the bottom of the seventh. Bowman led off the inning by beating out a dribbler down the third-base line, and sophomore catcher Sam Mulroy reached base after being struck by a pitch. With one out, Berkowitz stepped up to the plate and drove the ball to the wall in left-center field. Mulroy and Bowman scored on the blast, giving the Tigers a 4-3 lead.

After a scoreless eighth, Princeton was three outs away from a sweep of Dartmouth, a feat the Tigers have not accomplished since 2003. But catcher Chris O’Dowd blasted a line drive over the deep fence in center field, tying the contest at 4-4 and forcing another extra-inning game. In the tenth inning, O’Dowd again was the hero, driving in pinch-runner Brett Gardner with a double to left field for the eventual game-winning run.

“Only a couple games will separate the top teams, and it comes down to who comes out in these close games,” Gonzales-Luna said. “We’re expecting to play a bunch of tight games all year long, and we have to try to pull them out.”

If the first weekend’s results are any indication, there will be very little separation in the Ivy League this year. After four games, no team is undefeated, and every squad except Yale (11-10-1, 0-4) has at least two victories. Princeton’s pitching will have to continue to shut down opponents if the Tigers are to keep pace with the rest of the league.