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Princeton University Athletics
Baseball To Face Harvard For Ivy League Title
May 08, 2002 | Baseball
May 8, 2002
PRINCETON, NJ - Princeton will meet Harvard, a 2-1 winner over Brown on Wednesday afternoon, for the Ivy League Championship this weekend in Cambridge, MA. The Crimson scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to claim the Red Rolfe Division Championship and earn the right to host Princeton in Ivy League Championship series this weekend. The Tiger clinched the Lou Gehrig Division title with a 5-1 win over Cornell on Sunday.
With Harvard trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth, freshman Schuler Mann reached on an error. Junior Nick Seminara entered the game to pinch run for Mann and stole second base. Brown pitcher Jonathan Stern then retired the next two batters in order, bringing pinch hitter Mickey Kropf to the plate. He hit a 0-2 RBI triple to the right field fence, scoring Seminara. On the very next pitch, Shakir singled to score Kropf and lift the Crimson to the 2-1 win.
Harvard pitcher Ben Crockett improved to 6-3 with the win, fanning 16 batters in nine innings of work. Stern, who held the Crimson scoreless through eight innings, struck out 14.
The Crimson will now host the best-of-three series with Princeton for the Ivy League Championship this weekend. The winner will receive the league's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
Princeton was swept by Harvard at Clarke Field earlier this season. The Tigers have won the last two Ivy League titles, defeating Dartmouth in both 2000 and 2001.