.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
North Carolina
Balkan and Lahey Lead Baseball to Win
March 18, 2003 | Baseball
March 18, 2003
Box Score
Chapel Hill, N.C. - The Princeton baseball team stopped a four-game losing skid with an 8-3 win over North Carolina Tuesday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium. Adam Balkan and Tim Lahey each hit a home run and had three RBIs while Mark Siano earned a complete game win, allowing three runs on seven hits.
The game was a homecoming for Princeton head coach Scott Bradley who was a standout catcher for the Tar Heels from 1980 to 1982 before being drafted by the New York Yankees. Last fall, Bradley was named one of the 50 greatest Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball players in conjunction with the Conference's 50th anniversary. Princeton started the game off with two runs in the top of the first inning. Steve Young led off with a single to left center. Eric Fitzgerald followed that up with a single to center field. The two runners advanced to third and second base on a sacrifice bunt from B.J. Szymanski. Both runners then scored when Ryan Eldridge reached base on an error. The Tar Heels fought back in the home half of the inning to knot the game at 2-2 at the end of an inning of play.
The Tigers reassumed the lead in the third inning when Lahey belted his second home run of the season. With one out in the inning, Eldridge singled to left center. That brought Lahey up and he connected to give Princeton a 4-2 lead. The Tigers got their second long ball of the day in the fifth inning, this time a three-run shot to move ahead 7-2. Fitzgerald led off the inning with a single to right field and advanced to third when the next batter, Szymanski, singled to right. The North Carolina pitcher got the next two batters with strikeouts but could not handle Balkan, who launched his third career homer to center field.
Princeton continued its trend of scoring in the odd numbered innings by manufacturing a run in the seventh. Eldridge began the rally with a single down the left field line. He advanced to second on a balk and scored on the following pitch when Lahey singled to left field, picking up his third RBI of the game.
Siano struck out five batters in earning his first win of the season. Scott Manshack was credited with loss and dropped to 2-3 on the season.
The Tigers are now 2-9 and continue their spring break road trip tomorrow afternoon when they face North Carolina again at 3 p.m.