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Princeton University Athletics
Tech-nical Difficulties
May 27, 2000 | Baseball
May 27, 2000
Box Score
HOUSTON, Texas - Less than 12 hours after losing its most heartbreaking game of the season, the Princeton baseball team was back in action in the NCAA tournament in Houston, Texas. The Tigers (24-20) fell to the Texas Tech Red Raiders 10-1 in the regional's first elimination game. The Tigers end their season with 24 wins for the third straight season. Texas Tech advances to tonight's game against the loser of the Hosuton/Rice game.
Texas Tech (36-25) drew first blood in the top of the third inning when Scott Holzhauer doubled in two runs to give the Red Raiders a 2-0 lead. Tech's starting pticher Cory Metzler kept the Tigers in check through the first four innings, retiring 12 straight batters after giving up a hit in the first inning.
The Raiders added another run in the top of the sixth inning on a double by clean-up hitter Chaz Eiguren. Chad Landry followed that with an RBI single of his own. The next batter, Shaun Larkin, hit a 2-0 pitch over the right-field wall for a three-run homer. After giving up seven runs in five-plus innings, starter Jason Quintana was pulled for Tom Rowland. Rowland came in and threw a double play ball and a fly out to end the five-run Red Raider inning. "Later on in the game, I got some pitches up in the zone more than I was throwing in the first four innings. I got a little fatigued in the fifth inning," Quintana said following the game. "I'm not going to blame the weather on my performance, I like it hot and humid. I made a couple of mistakes and that's what hurt me."
Jon Watterson collected Princeton's only two hits throught the first seven innings. His first, an infield hit, came on the first pitch of the game.
Cory Sellars hit Texas Tech's second three-run home run of the game in the top of the seventh inning to make the score 10-0. Mickey Martin added Princeton's third hit of the game in the bottom of the inning, but the next three batters were sent down in order.
Casey Hildreth hit a two out double in the bottom of the ninth before Martin hit him in for Princeton's only run of the game. Ryan Achterberg popped up for the final out of the game.
Metzler threw a complete-game six hitter with two walks and two strikeouts and a run.
"We've faced a lot of good teams with some high-profile pitchers this season. I think Metzler pitched the best we've seen from anyone this season," Princeton head coach Scott Bradley said. "I thought [Princeton's pitchers] made some mistakes out over the plate and it hurt us.
"Every year, we look to the Ivy League as a goal. Getting to play here and in an atmosphere like this is something of a bonus. We had a great season and have four seniors who will move on after this and we'll come back and maybe make it to Sunday of this tournament next year," Bradley said.
With the loss, Quintana falls to 6-4 on the season, Watterson was 2 for 4 on the day.