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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Duke
Baseball Posts 10-3 Win in Rubber Match at Duke
March 14, 2004 | Baseball
March 14, 2004
Box Score
Durham, N.C. - The Princeton baseball team posted a 10-3 win at Duke Sunday afternoon in the rubber match of its three-game series at Duke. The win lifts Princeton to 5-1 and is the best start for the Tigers since opening the 1989 season 5-1.
For the second day in a row, the Tigers jumped on the Blue Devils in the early innings, received strong pitching through the middle innings, and then burst the game open in the late innings.
Princeton jumped ahead in the second inning taking a 3-0 lead that would never be relinquished. Sophomore Andrew Salini led off the inning by legging out an infield single. Junior Adam Balkan then ripped a double down the left field line that scored Salini from first. That brought up senior Tim Lahey who drove a pitch over the wall in right field for his first home run of the season after hitting 11 last season. Duke chipped a run off the lead in both the bottom of the second and the third innings making the lead 3-2, which is where it sat until the eighth. During those innings, the story for the Tigers was pitching and came from freshman Gavin Fabian and junior Brian Kappel. Fabian started the game and earned his first career win after throwing six innings and allowing two runs on seven hits. Kappel came in for the final three innings and scattered two hits and struck out six as he captured his second save of the season.
Princeton broke the game open in the eighth by adding two more runs and padded that lead with five more in the ninth. In the eighth, senior Eric Fitzgerald led off with a double down the right-field line. After a pitching change, junior B.J. Szymanski singled through the left side, moving Fitzgerald to third. After an out, junior Adam Balkan hit into a fielder's choice that scored Fitzgerald scored. Senior Tim Lahey then doubled to right center to score Balkan and give Princeton a 5-2 lead.
In the ninth, sophomore Stephen Wendell singled to right field. After an out, Senior Steve Young singled to left center. Fitzgerald then ripped his second double of the game down the left-field line to score Wendell and advance Young to third. After a pitching change and an out, Salini singled home Fitzgerald and Young scored. Balkan then hit home Salini by homering to right field for his first homerun of the year.
Princeton (5-1) returns to the diamond tomorrow afternoon at Elon (7-11) at 2:30 p.m.