Men’s baseball continue conference play

The past weekend showed hopeful signs for the baseball team in a season that has been marked by losses. Returning home after playing their last five games on the road, the Tigers went 1-3 in their series against the Columbia Lions.

Princeton (6-24 overall, 3-9 Ivy League) is currently ranked seventh in the Ivy League and is hoping to end its season strong after what has been so fara difficult season. In particular, the Tigers’ scoring has been cause for concern: they currently rank last in the league in runs scored and sixthin hitting percentage.

Despite these issues, the Tigers pulled out the first game of the series in a thriller, coming back from a 3-2 deficit to come out on top in the bottom of the seventh inning. Sophomore infielder Zack Belski made the play to tie the game, pulling off a bunt that allowed freshman infielder Asher Lee-Tyson to make it home. Crucially, this play also allowed junior infielder Danny Hoy to advance to third. Senior infielder Mat DeNunzio took advantage of this fact as he singled up the middle and allowed Hoy to score the game-winning run.

Also impressive for the Tigers is how well they shut down Columbia, a team that ranks second in the league for both total hits and runs on the season. Senior pitcher Nick Donatiello and sophomore pitcher Chad Powers combined for eight strikeouts on the game, well eclipsing Princeton’s current average in league play of 5.67.

The second game, however, did not hold the same kind of success for the Tigers. The Lions would jump out to an early lead and not look back. They led 4-1 after three innings, a lead that would expand to six by the end of the game as the Tigers fell 10-4. Freshman pitcher Nick Brady took the loss for this one, as he pitched 5.2 innings and allowed 7 runs, 6 earned.

Nevertheless, the Tigers had to be proud after splitting the games on the first day. Columbia (19-11, 10-2) is a league powerhouse and is currently tied with Penn for the top ranking. Moreover, this is a team that swept the Tigers in the two teams’ only meeting last year — the results of the first day certainly have to be considered impressive.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, Columbia revved up its game in the doubleheader of the second day. The Lions showed off their impressive pitching skills as they won 4-0 and 9-1 on the day. Their strong pitching isn’t surprising — they are currently second in the league in hits allowed and third in strikeouts per game.

This isn’t to say Princeton lacked strong pitching performances of its own on the second day. In the first game, sophomore pitcher Keelan Smithers held the Lions to just one run for six of the seven innings. He finished the game having recorded four strikeouts.

Like the first, the second game started out strong for the Tigers, holding Columbia scoreless through the first two. The visitors, however, hit hard in the thirdand fourthinnings, scoring four runs in that time frame as the Tigers were unable to respond. The Lions would not look back, continuing to pile on runs en route to victory. The Tigers’ only score of the day came from Lee-Tyson, coming in off a single by junior infielder Billy Arendt.

With this series behind them, the Tigers will continue taking on New York foes as they travel to face St. John’s University on Wednesday.