Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Virginia Commonwealth (Game 2)
Baseball Splits Doubleheader at Virginia Commonwealth
March 20, 2004 | Baseball
March 20, 2004
Box Score
Richmond, Va. - The Princeton baseball team split a pair of games Saturday afternoon and evening against Virginia Commonwealth at The Diamond. VCU took the opener 5-0, but the Tigers bounced back with a 9-7 victory in the nightcap. Freshman Eric Walz earned the win after allowing four runs on eight hits in eight innings, freshman Sal Iacono hit a two-run homerun and freshman Aaron Prince posted three RBIs as the Tigers improved to 8-5 on the season.
In game one of the doubleheader, VCU's pitching staff stylmied the Tigers as Princeton's offense could only muster five hits off of Harold Mozingo and Clay Meredith. The Rams jumped ahead 2-0 in the second inning to claim a lead they would not relinquish. They added an insurance run in the third and two more in the eighth. Sophomore Erik Stiller took the loss and is now 1-1 in the season. He struck out seven in seven innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits. Junior Worth Lumry pitched the eighth. The Tiger bats woke up in the nightcap as all but one Tiger starter had a hit in the game. After spotting Virginia Commonwealth a 2-0 lead in the first, Princeton came back to take a 3-2 lead in the second. Senior Tim Lahey led off with a double to center field. Senior Ryan Reich then walked and both runners advanced a base when sophomore Stephen Wendell laid down a sacrifice bunt. Prince then singled to right center to plate both Lahey and Reich. Sophomore Matthew Becker then drew a walk. Princeton puched across the go ahead run two batters later when junior Adam Balkan reached on an error, allowing Prince to score.
VCU rebounded with a run in the bottom of the second to make the score 3-3, but the Tigers addedtwo more runs in the third to go ahead for good in the game. Sophomore Andrew Salini led off with a double and scored when Lahey ripped his second double of the game. Reich then walked and once again, he and Lahey each advanced a base when Wendell had a sac bunt. Prince then hit a sacrifice fly that allowed Lahey to score and gave Princeton a 5-3 lead.
The Rams stayed close, adding a run in the third, but Princeton extended its lead with runs in the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth Reich led off with a double in the gap of left center. He scored when Wendell singled in the following at-bat. princeton added three more in the soxth to make it 9-4. Senior Eric Fitzgerald drew a leadoff walked and advanced to third when Balkan singled to right field. A wild pitch allowed Fitzgerald to score and Balkan to reach second. Iacono then launched his first collegiate home run to left field to plate Balkan and himself and put Princeton up by five runs.
After battling through the first three innings, Walz settled in and kept the Rams off the scoreboard for the next five innings. In eight innings of work, he allowed eight hits and four runs and struck out three batters for his second win of the season and he now stands 2-0.
Virginia Commonwealth had one chance though and scored three times in the bottom of the ninth to make the score 9-7.
Princeton is now 8-5 on the season and will look to clinch the series against Virginia Commonwealth when the two teams meet tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m.