On opening weekend, Princeton baseball (1–2 overall, 0–0 Ivy League) won one-out-of-three against a tough ranked opponent in No. 17 NC State (5–1, 0–0 ACC).
Game One: NC State 6, Princeton 4
As of Friday afternoon, Princeton baseball is officially back for the 2026 season. The Tigers kicked off the season with a hard fought game against No. 17 North Carolina State. While the Wolfpack was No. 17 when they played the Tigers, they are now ranked No. 14.
On the mound Friday was the senior pitcher from Cypress, Texas, Justin Kim.
The Tigers jumped out ahead early in the top of the second with a base-hit to center from first-year utility Joe Montembeau, bringing sophomore catcher Will Robbins in to score, putting the Tigers up 1–0.
First-year first baseman and outfielder Tomas Cernius added to Princeton’s lead with a double down the left field line, combined with a fielding error by the Wolfpack, brought in junior infielder Tommy Googins’ home to add to the Tigers’ lead, making it 2–0 in the third inning.
But the Wolfpack are the 17th-ranked team in all of college baseball for a reason. NC State’s offense woke up and quickly responded in the bottom half of the third with a fielding error by Princeton, decreasing the lead to one. In the fifth, NC State homered to bring the score back to even. In the 8th, they broke out with a four-run frame to take a 6–2 lead.
With some opening-day tenacity, the Tiger offense came out swinging. Googins added to his good day behind the plate with a 370-foot two-run home-run to right field that bounced off of and over the top of the wall. The homer was Googins’ second run of the day and closed the deficit to two.
Unfortunately, the ninth inning run fell short and the Tigers lost their first contest of the season, but showed grit and offensive ability against a very good NC State squad.
The starter, Kim, had a good four innings, allowing only one run paired with four strike-outs on 71 pitches.
Game Two: NC State 16, Princeton 1
The Wolfpack offense was ready to play on Saturday’s first game. NC State jumped out ahead behind a shaky start for the Tigers pitching, getting their first two batters on base via hit-by-pitch and a four-pitch walk. A sacrifice-fly, hit-by-pitch, and a double steal quickly put the Wolfpack up 2–0 early.
The NC State piled on runs in the third and fifth innings with another two sac-flies and two homers to go up 8–0.
At the end of a two-run fourth inning, the Wolfpack were up 10–0 and were pitching a perfect game, which was not the start the Tigers wanted.
Thankfully, sophomore infielder Joseph Zorc broke up the perfect game with an infield single.
The Wolfpack would go on to score four more runs to go up 16–0. But some offensive life came in the ninth for Princeton, with a bases-loaded walk by Zorc forcing Montembeau to home, putting the Tigers first run on the board. The next batter struck out, ending the contest.
While it wasn’t the rematch Princeton hoped for, they had one more crack at NC State.
Game Three: Princeton 1, NC State 0
“Good baseball teams know how to forget about the past and to just look forward to the next play or the next game,” Tigers Head Coach Scott Bradley told The Daily Princetonian.
The defense showed up big for the Tigers in the final game of their three-game opening series, with first-year pitcher Brady Kaufman on the bump in Princeton’s second Saturday game.
The Tigers’ first three batters were retired. Kaufman started strong with a one-two-three first inning to retire the side, a sign that the pitching looked tightened up after the Tigers’ last showing.
“We had nothing to lose, so we went out and just competed,” Kaufman told the ‘Prince’ after the game.
Despite walking the first batter of the second inning, a double play cleaned up and the Tigers got out of the second still scoreless.
The first hit of the game came with two outs in the bottom of the third by NC State, and a defensive error let another runner on. A passed ball and a stolen base advanced the runners to second and third base. Kaufman struck out the Wolfpack batter for the third out to get out of the jam.
A walk got Googins on base in the fourth, but he was later caught attempting to steal second, and the inning was over.
Kaufman finished his day after five solid innings, allowing only one hit and striking out three. It was a solid performance that the Tigers desperately needed after the first game of Saturday’s double-header.
First-year pitcher Ryan Penney relieved Kaufman and retired eight of the first nine batters he saw, continuing Princeton success from the mound.
In the top of the sixth inning, sophomore infielder Isaac Lamson broke up the tie, homering to left, giving the Tigers a 1–0 lead.
This homer would prove to be the only score of the game despite a challenge from the Wolfpack in the ninth, meaning Princeton pitched a shutout against the 17th ranked team in the nation.
“Ryan and I put a lot of time and effort into pitching this offseason,” Kaufman said post-game. “We both had one job to do during the game, which was to throw two types of pitches for strikes. If we did that, we knew we’d be tough to hit.”
This response, especially from its younger players, was a sign of strength for the Princeton baseball team this season.
“The biggest thing we’re looking forward to this year is our team’s potential, as we have a lot of freshmen who can be major contributors,” Kaufman stated. “We know that if we can compete with a top-25 team, we can compete in the Ivy League.”
This team proved to be tough and resilient in its first series against one of the best teams in college baseball, with a hard-fought first game that could have gone either way, and a reassuring win in Saturday’s second game.
The Tigers return to the state of North Carolina to take on Duke (7–2, 0–0 ACC) next weekend.
Zeke Arnold is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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